The Locket
by Elizabeth Vasser
Summary: Kagome possesses a mystical locket she's had since birth, but is stumped to find a half demon in pursuit of it. Try as she might, she cannot find his purpose for desiring the necklace or why he keeps returning even after rejection.  Full sum inside
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Kagome possesses a mystical locket she's had since birth, but is stumped to find a half demon in pursuit of it. Try as she might, she cannot find his purpose for desiring the necklace or why he keeps returning even after rejection. Even after discovering he no longer requires her locket, he keeps returning . . . but for her? Or a hidden motive? **

**Ok, first things first. This story was as hard as crap to write. I am not even kidding. I wrote six entire chapters of the story, and then scrapped them because I didn't like it, and started over again from scratch. It was HARD. I've never had so much trouble with a story. And it's even shorter than my other stories! Geez. Anyway . . . **

**I'm not going to explain anything. I'm just going to let you guys read and see what you think so far. Don't ask me things like, "Will Kikyo be in this? Will Shippo be in this? Will the fucking Pope be in this?" Because I'm not gonna give ANYTHING away about this one. :P So just READ.**

**The only thing I will reveal is that pretty much all of this story except maybe once or twice, is in Inuyasha's Point of View. Too bad, so sad. **

Chapter one

_Why__? __Why __did __it __come __to __this__? __Where __did __I __go __wrong__?_ My grip on the wood of the well tightened, until my claws were biting painfully into the board. I felt my teeth grind together in frustration.

"Remember your promise." I ground out from behind clenched teeth.

There was a low chuckle. "I haven't forgotten, hanyou. Bring what I desire back to me and I will fulfill my end of the bargain."

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Naraku was indeed standing there, a smirk on his face. I felt overwhelming hatred flow through me. "Remember Naraku . . . if you don't keep your promise, I won't hesitate to kill you."

"A threat I take all too seriously." he replied smoothly.

I growled. "Are you mocking me?"

"I wouldn't dare. I do not make a mockery of you, Inuyasha. I am simply informing you that I do believe, for all intensive purposes, if I fail to keep my promise, you will kill me." Naraku replied, and though the smirk on his face remained, his voice was inscrutable, and ever so pleasant. I couldn't tell if he was mocking me or not, but something gave me a feeling that he was.

I turned back toward the well. "Where do I go?"

"I'm glad to see your compliance." Naraku commented. "The Bone Eater's well will take you to the future, Inuyasha. Once there, you must find a girl. She will have what you seek."  
"A girl? That's the vague lead you're giving me?"

"Impatience does not become you, Inuyasha. Allow me to finish. She is a human girl, and I am under the impression you will have no trouble locating her, none at all. This very well should take you close to her, if my visions are correct."

"All right. Does she have a name?"

Naraku smiled. "Kagome."

"Hmph. Well her name makes no difference to me anyway." I climbed up onto the edge of the well, and I was about to jump down, but Naraku's voice stopped me.

"Oh, and Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"When you find Kagome, and you find what you seek . . . kill her."

I whipped my head around to look at him, fury in my eyes. "What! You didn't say anything about killing her!"

"Do it, Inuyasha, or you will suffer the consequences." I was about to snarl at him, when he raised his eyebrows. "You know what I mean. You will bring back what I desire, and you will kill that girl. Am I clear?"

I felt my fists clench, shaking with anger. But there was nothing I could say. Nothing I could do. I had to take these orders, and I had to kill this girl. I didn't want to. But I had to. ". . . Crystal clear." I spat, and jumped through the well.

"Ugh . . . I think I'm gonna be sick . . ." I swayed slightly, putting a clawed hand to my head. I had finished passing through the well, and instead of clear, starry skies above me when I looked up, it was a wooden ceiling. I was definitely in a different place than before. I could hear strange, loud noises from outside, and I could hear people's voices, even though it was nighttime.

I crouched and leapt out of the well, and when I landed, I looked around, seeing I was inside what looked to be an old shrine. I walked up the wooden steps and to the doors, seeing they were sealed with spirit sutras. I reached forward cautiously and peeled one off, and when it didn't hurt me, I tossed it aside and slid the doors open easily.

Once outside, I looked around carefully, examining my surroundings. I looked straight ahead, and across from me was the Goshinboku, the sacred tree, the same as in my world. I looked to my right, seeing a series of stone steps leading down to some streets that were covered with a strange stone substance that was black, and had yellow markings all along it. There were large, metal boxes on rubber wheels moving swiftly across it, and for some reason, my legs twitched, and I had the overwhelming urge to chase one of them. My eyes followed the movement of one small red box on wheels, before I shook my head, wondering what in the world had come over me. "This world is weird." I muttered, and turned around.

There was a house behind me, but it was by far the strangest house I'd ever seen. The house was a yellowish white color, and it was rather large. Far larger than any huts I'd ever seen. I saw on the second floor, there was a window, and I could see through the glass. I saw a girl standing there, running a comb through long, wavy black hair, her back turned to me. _Is __that __her__? __But__ . . . __how __do __I __get __inside__? __I __don__'__t __know __what__'__s __inside __that __house __or __who__. __She __could __be __a __princess__. And she could have body __guards. __It__'__s __best __if __I __just __hide __for __now __and __wait __until __she__'__s __alone __It __would __be __best __to __just __observe __her __from __a __distance __until __I __can __see __who__'__s __guarding __her __and __who __isn__'__t__._ I thought, and ran over to the Goshinboku, jumping up into the branches and hiding within the leaves. I rested back against a branch, and the waiting began.

I watched the girl throughout the night, and she didn't really do anything of interest. After she finished combing her hair she sat down at a desk and began to write with a strange utensil, turning through the pages of a rather large, thick book. Occasionally she would sigh or tap the pencil against her forehead, or mutter something about "Algebra". I couldn't really see into her room that well, but the furniture she had was also weird. The bed was swathed in pink, and the rest of the room seemed to follow the theme of pink as well.

_This __might __not __even __be __the __right __girl__. __I __need __some __kind __of __confirmation __that __it__'__s __her__. __Otherwise__, __I__'__m __wasting __my __time__._ I thought. As if answering my prayers, the girl stood up and faced the window for a brief moment, and my eyes drifted down, and then widened. There, between her breasts, hung a golden locket. It was heart-shaped, and embedded into it was a smaller red heart made of garnet, outlined by the gold.

_That__'__s __got __to __be __her__! __So__ . . . __this __is __the __girl __I __have __to __kill__. __Hmph__. __Well__, __if __I __make __it __quick __and __painless __I__'__ll __feel __a __lot __less __guilty __about __it __later__. __Now __I __just __have __to __wait __for __the __perfect __opportunity__. __Naraku __said __that __her __name __was__ '__Kagome__' . . ._ I mused, watching carefully as she stepped closer to the window. When she did so, I got a good look at her face.

I nearly fell out of the tree. "Kikyo!" I sputtered out loud. But I took a closer look. No, it wasn't Kikyo. Definitely wasn't Kikyo.

But . . . the resemblance was very close. But there were differences, definite differences. Kagome's face was a lot more gentle, and less sharp. And her eyes were large and rounded, instead of guarded and narrow, and her eyes were deep blue, not brown. Her hair was wavy and black, instead of straight, and her body was less slender and more curvaceous.

_Naraku __conveniently __failed __to __mention __that __this __girl __is __the __spitting __image __of __Kikyo__._ I thought furiously. _He __planned __this__! __He __must __have __known __what __Kagome __looks __like__, __so __he __knows __what __it __will __do __to __me __to __have __to __kill __her__! __That __bastard__!_ My claws dug into the bark of the tree, before I relaxed them. I didn't want to slice down the branch and land on my ass. The last thing I needed was to be discovered right now. Or to be on my ass, for that matter.

_It__'__s __been __fifty __years__, __though__ . . . __Naraku __made __Kikyo __and __me __believe __that __we __had __betrayed __one __another__ . . . __that __is__, __until __I __sought __him __out__, __and __learned __the __truth__ . . . __But __Kikyo __never __did__. __She __died__, __never __knowing __the __truth__. __And __now__, __she__'__s__ . . ._ I stopped my thought process there, because it would only lead to pain that I didn't want to deal with right now. I had finally learned to let go, and at least try to move on, but . . . thinking about it wasn't going to help.

"I know you're there!" Kagome suddenly said, and my keen ears could pick up her voice from here. I tensed, wondering how in the world she knew.

"You can just stop watching me already! It's creeping me out!" She declared, and I readied to crouch and spring at her if need be, but she suddenly turned around, her hands on her hips, and said, "Sota! If you're going to play a prank on me, next time you might want to be a little bit quieter!"

A little boy, obviously Kagome's little brother, with black hair and brown eyes, appeared, laughing. "I thought I'd be able to get you with the water balloon this time for sure. You looked really concentrated on your studies, but . . . oh well."

"No. I've given up on those. Algebra just isn't making sense to me right now. I'll have to ask Eri to help me out tomorrow. And Miroku can probably give me some tips." Kagome added.

'Sota' cocked his head curiously at Kagome. "What are you thinking about, sis? You seem kind of sad."

"No, I'm fine." She waved her hand dismissively, and looked out the window once more, in my direction. I was sweating, because I was afraid she would see me. She was looking right _at_ me, and I knew the branches concealed me to a certain degree, but if she kept looking so intently, she was going to see me, sticking out like a sore thumb in my bright red kimono. "I'm just thinking about some-" She suddenly cut off, and her eyes widened as she slid open her window, her eyes widening at _me_.

_Oh __shit __oh __shit __oh __shit __oh __shit __oh __shit__-_ I backed as far into the tree as I could muster, and I was really sweating now. She could definitely see me. Oh shit.

"What is it Kagome?" Sota moved to the window to see what she was gawking at.

Kagome's eyes finally returned to their normal size, and she shook her head. "It's nothing. I just thought I . . . I thought I saw something."  
"What kind of something?" Sota persisted.

"The kind of something that's going to eat you if you don't get out of my room and go to bed." Kagome chided, giving him a push toward the door. "Good-night, Sota."

He pouted at her. "Fine. Good-night sis." He closed the door after him.

I let out a sigh of relief when Kagome slid her window closed, and a minute later, the light in her room clicked off. _I __guess __she __just __thinks __she __imagined __it__. __Well__, __that__'__ll __buy __me __some __time__. __But __I__'__m __going __to __have __to __find __a __better __hiding __place__. __She__'__ll __probably __be __suspicious __from __now __on__. __So__, __I__'__ve __learned __this__. __She __has __a __little __brother__. __From __the __strange __way __both __of __them __are __dressed__, __they __definitely __don__'__t __seem __like __royalty__. __And __it __doesn__'__t __seem __like __they __have __any __servants__, __so __I __think __I __can __rule __out __guards__. __So __I__'__ve __just __got __to __sniff __out __the __remainder __of __the __humans __in __the __house __and __learn __when __they __leave __and __when __they __don__'__t__. __Then __I __can __eliminate __Kagome__._ This thought bothered me, for three factors. One, she was a human. Two, she was an innocent girl. And three, she looked almost exactly like Kikyo. It was going to be a hard test for me. I wondered if I would pass?

I learned the next day Kagome also lived with her mother and her grandfather. During the day, her grandfather bustled about cleaning the shrine and fixing up this and that, and he was the one responsible for placing the spirit sutras onto everything. I smacked myself in the forehead when he noticed a few of his spirit sutras had been removed, and the doors leading to the Bone Eater's well were open. He was suspicious for a moment, before he replaced the sutras and slid the door closed, seeming to dismiss it.

Kagome's mother, on the other hand, busied herself with cleaning and cooking. When the smells of her cooking wafted through the air and to my sensitive nose, my stomach growled, and I sighed. I was going to have to do something about that. But what? I was in a strange world where people dressed in bizarre manners, but to them, I would probably look even more bizarre. I was at an impasse. How to get food?

I could hunt for it. But then I'd have to eat it raw, and I only did that in the worst case scenarios. I was half dog demon after all, so it wasn't like my body wasn't built to take in that sort of stuff, but I still didn't prefer it. I swore I wouldn't resort to that unless necessary.

Kagome herself, along with her brother, left the house for what I overheard was called 'school'. I had no idea what this 'school' was, but if both Kagome and her brother were going, I was going to check it out and see what it was.

Following Kagome through her world was a task in itself. There were so many things going on in her village, and it was so _massive__._ There were huge, box shaped buildings everywhere with thousands of windows, not to mention the fast, metal boxes that were zooming around everywhere. People walked up and down the streets, talking and laughing, and my head was whirling from all the scents in the air. I could barely follow Kagome by her scent, which, I'd memorized, was that of a sweet citrus. It permeated the air, and I was able to track it because it was one of the only scents that wasn't foul to my nose, but actually pretty pleasant.

Kagome's 'school' was another large building that nothing but kids and teenagers were entering. All the girls wore the same outfit, a short green skirt, white socks, and a strange white shirt, and all of the males also wore the same outfit, which was a black shirt and black pants. So in a crowd full of girls, I was not only overwhelmed by all the sweet scents, but also all the outfits. It was hard to track Kagome through the crowd, darting through the trees, but I managed. I didn't enter the building, however, because it was far too large and there was no way for me to hide.

Naraku had also failed to mention that there were no demons in this world. There wasn't a single one. I couldn't sniff out any, so I knew it wasn't going to be a good idea to walk out in broad daylight with my claws, fangs, and dog ears. I wasn't ashamed of them, but at the same time, I had no idea how the people of this world would react to my appearance.

And plus, I needed to stay hidden. My clothes compared to their clothes were completely opposite, and somehow, Kagome would notice me. So I had to stick to the trees and to the shadows.

I wasn't aware of how long I sat there, in the trees, once Kagome had gone outside. My hunger grew, and as my hunger grew, my patience wore thin. And as my patience wore thin, so did my mood. I was ticked, hungry, and bored out of my mind, waiting in this tree. It was growing later and later in the afternoon, and I glanced up at the sky, to see what time it was.

It was around three in the afternoon, and I was about to say fuck it, but a loud, shrill bell pierced the air, and I clamped my hands over my ears until the noise was over. My ears were still ringing, and throbbing a bit from the loud noise, and I grumbled and cursed under my breath as kids filed out from the building like a big herd of sheep. I scoped out for Kagome, and when I spotted her, I stretched, and began to follow her as she trekked her way home.

And, just like that, the day was over. Kagome returned home to her mother and grandfather, and her brother Sota also returned. It was a simple as that. She spent the day at 'school', while the rest of them spent their time doing other meaningless things. This was going to be a lot easier than I'd initially suspected.

_Simple __enough__. __I__'__ll __just __grab __her __when __she __leaves __for __this__ '__school__' __tomorrow__, __and __I__'__ll __make __it __quick__. __I__'__ll __have __that __locket __and __then __I __can __leave__. __Easy __enough__._ I thought, and grinned to myself.

Unfortunately, my hunger also continued to grow into the night, and I grumbled along with my stomach. The scents that were wafting up from the house were enticing, and my mouth watered, and my stomach pleaded. I ignored it, knowing I could wait another day. I would kill Kagome, get that damned locket, and return to my own time and give Naraku what he wanted, so I could have what I wanted. And then I could go find something decent to eat. I was a half demon. I could go a lot longer without eating than any human could. But the problem was that I was usually a lot hungrier than humans, despite the fact I could survive a lot longer without food.

"Hmph. I'm not a baby. I'll tough this out, no problem." I muttered. I had been through a lot worse case scenarios than this. My childhood was a prime example of that.

"Ahh . . . that was wonderful." Kagome walked into her room, clicked on the light, and sighed contentedly as she put a hand to her stomach. "Nothing like mom's cooking."

"That's right. Rub it in my face, bitch." I muttered.

Almost as if she heard me, Kagome looked to her window, and once again, she was looking right at me, in the Goshinboku tree, and I got the feeling she could see me. I became even more wary as she closed the door to her room, locked it, and then went to grab a tall, thick wooden stick with a curved end covered in a black material. She held the stick up defensively, slid open her window, and very carefully, she climbed up onto her window sill, and then set foot on the roof, and moved as close to the tree as she could get. I knew now, for a fact, that she had seen me, and there was no sense in hiding.

"All right. Come out. I can see you. You stick out like a sore thumb. Next time you want to spy on someone, you might not want to wear bright red." she said.

"Hmph." I stood up and walked nimbly along the thin branch, until I was out in the open, where she could see me. When she could see me fully, her eyes widened, and the smell of her fear vanished. She wasn't scared of me? I felt a rush of confusion. All humans were scared of me. They always had been.

"Are those dog ears?" She asked, looking curious more than anything else. "Are they real?"

"Huh?" That wasn't the first question I had been expecting. I felt a rush of annoyance. I wanted her to be intimidated by me, not find me something to gawk at in fascination.

"They're cute!" She cooed, and I felt a traitorous blush spread across my face. I looked away from her, and I was _highly_ annoyed now. She thought they were _cute_? No one had ever found my ears _cute_. People had often made fun of my ears, or yanked on them to bully me. No one had ever liked them. It was . . . different.

"What are you babblin' on about, anyway?" I demanded, irritated.

"So, are you going to tell me why you've been spying on me?" she demanded, and she seemed like she was back to business, as she held the wooden weapon out threateningly toward me.

I snorted. "If I was goin' to tell you, why would I spy on you? It's called _spying_ for a reason."

She blushed a little at that. "Hmph! Well, aren't you rude? Obviously you want something, or you wouldn't be spying on me."

That was true too. "I don't have time to play games with you, you stupid human." I snapped. "Now, that locket of yours . . . you're going to hand it over."

"What? My locket?" she looked down at said locket in surprise. "You can't be serious! I'm not handing this over! It's mine!"

"You can either give it to me willingly, or I'm gonna take it by force." I threatened, and I lifted my hand, flexing my claws, making sure she could see how long and sharp they were. I saw her eyes widen a little, and I could now smell a hint of fear. Good. She needed to be scared.

"Then you're going to have to take it by force. Because it's my locket, and I won't give it to you." she said boldly, and her body tensed. I had to give the little brat credit for having the balls to stand up to me.

"I'm gonna give you one more chance. I don't like to hurt girls. Give me the locket. _Now__._" I ordered, taking another step in her direction. She tensed further. On the one hand, I was ordered to kill her anyway. I knew I was going to have to. But if she gave me the locket willingly, she would never see it coming. It would be a whole lot more peaceful for her. I could kill her quickly and get it over with. But if she resisted, she would know she was going to die. And it was an awful thing, to die in fear. I suppose it was sort of a kind gesture on my part. I didn't want her to die terrified.

"There's no way! If you take one more step closer I'll hurt you!" she warned, holding out the stick, but it shook slightly in her grip.

I laughed softly, and when I calmed, I bared my fangs at her and took another step in her direction. "Who do you think you're dealing with, girl? I can tear you to shreds with my claws, and trust me, I won't have any second thoughts about it."

"You're a monster." she said, and I smirked at her.

"You talk awful big for such a measly human." Suddenly I jumped in front of her, and I smacked the wooden stick from her hands before she could react. She gasped as I grabbed her shoulders and slammed her back against the wall of the house. I could hear her heart pounding, and the smell of her fear was now intense, though she was trying hard not to show it.

"I'll be taking this now." I reached forward, to take the locket, but I was caught off guard when she twisted in her grip, and her knee came to slam up into my groin. Pain exploded through me, and I went down to my knees with a grunt, my grip loosening on her.

Kagome ran over and snatched up the wooden stick, and when I whirled around to face her, she hit me right across the face with it. I let out a cry of pain as stars exploded before my vision, and before I could stop myself, I went rolling across the roof and I hit the ground below hard. My entire body was fine from the impact from the fall, but my head was aching dully. I growled and put a hand to my head, and I was pissed now. That little brat honestly had to nerve to hit me like that . . .

"I told you I would hurt you! I'm not helpless!" she yelled at me from above.

With a snarl, I rolled to my feet and leapt onto the roof easily in one bound, and as she pulled the stick back to hit me with it again, I met it in midair with my claws, easily slicing the black end of the stick off. Kagome stared at the end of it in horror, and she only had a split second to register what I had done before I seized her by her collar and slammed her back up against the house for good measure. She struggled in my grip, and managed to wriggle around in my arms, so she was facing the house.

"Stupid . . . bitch!" I ground out, and I grabbed her hands, and slammed them up against the house.

"That blow with my hockey stick should have knocked you out! It would have, any normal _human__._ What _are_ you?" she demanded.

"Not a human. We'll leave it at that." I snapped, and used one of my hands to hold both of her wrists together. My other hand reached around, searching for the locket. Instead of finding the locket right away, though, my hand cupped something very soft, very pliable, and very round.

"Ahn!" A strange, cute sound escaped Kagome's lips, and I felt a flush go over my own face, and a strange, unfamiliar pang of desire down below. Growling, I quickly released her breast and found the locket, and yanked sharply on it, breaking the chain from her neck.

I backed up away from her once I had the locket in my grip, and she whirled around to face me, and her face was bright red. I could smell a faint hint of what I suspected to be arousal, and I pretended I didn't notice it, and that it wasn't a sweet, addictive scent. "Hentai!" Kagome shrieked at me, and came at me with her fists, obviously enraged.

"It was an accident!" I said defensively, and fended her off with some difficultly, as she was trying to hit me and kick me in the groin at the same time.

"Liar! I knew there was some other reason why you were spying on me, you peeping tom!" she managed to free one of her fists and hit me squarely in the chest, and while it didn't hurt, her words annoyed me.

"I wasn't spying on you for _you_! Don't flatter yourself, stupid!" I snapped. "I got no interest in you! I just need this locket!" _And __now __that __I __have __it__ . . . __I __have __to __kill __her__. __I __may __as __well __do __it __now__._ I thought, and I really didn't want to kill her. She was a human. She was innocent. And it wasn't fair to her. Not that I would ever admit anything like that, but it was true. I didn't like killing humans. Seeing as how my other half was human.

"Oh, is that _so_?" She glared at me, obviously insulted. "Well if you have that locket, aren't you going to take off now? You've got what you want."

I felt my expression become grim. I tucked the locket safely into the folds of my shirt, before I turned my gaze back to her. I didn't move from the roof, and after a moment, realization came over Kagome's features.

"You're going to . . . kill me?" she whispered. "But why?"

"Orders." I muttered. "Listen, don't struggle. I can make it quick. I don't want to draw it out anymore than you do."

"Like hell I won't struggle! But I thought if you got the locket you would leave me alone! You acted like you wouldn't hurt me if you got it!" Kagome clenched her fists angrily, and I could smell fear and distress mixed in with the anger.

And then, for the first time in my life, I felt guilty. Looking at her, a young innocent human girl, and knowing I was going to take her life, made me feel horrible. I didn't _want_ to take her life. It was not only ending her life, but to me, it looked like I was ending Kikyo's life as well, because Kikyo so resembled this Kagome girl.

"Damn you Naraku." I whispered, and I stepped forward, and took Kagome's wrist. She began to struggle, but I said, "Look! Do you want this to be quick and painless or not? I don't want to do this anymore than you want me to." I admitted. "So can you just not be complicated about it?"

And then, the thing I feared most, happened. Those big, bright blue eyes suddenly became very, very shiny, and very, very _watery_. My eyes widened.

"What . . . what are you doing?" I demanded. "Are you crying!"  
"Well, what do you expect me to do? Some dog boy shows up at my house, spies on me, takes my locket that I've had ever since I was a child, gropes me, and then says he's going to kill me! Am I supposed to laugh?" she demanded, as tears began to spill over.

I would not, and could not, deal with a woman's tears. I'd only ever had to deal with them once, from my mother, when the humans had called me a "halfbreed". But this girl? This girl who so resembled Kikyo? Whose scent was enticing? I was shocked by the desire within me to comfort her, and make those tears go away. I didn't know how to _deal_ with tears. I just couldn't. They tore me up.

"Look, just . . . just stop cryin', all right?" I requested frantically. "It's not that bad . . . I mean, you've lived what? Eighteen years?"

"Fifteen." She sniffled, and that seemed to make her more upset. I hastened to explain.

"Look, in my era, there are thousands of people who live less than that! So, you had fifteen years, right? So quit blubberin'! It could be worse!" I felt my ears lower guiltily as she smacked my hand off her wrist and put her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

"But I don't want to die." she sobbed. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"I . . ." I felt completely helpless in that moment, and I truly felt like a monster. This wasn't fair. I hated Naraku so much in that moment, that if he had been in front of me, I would have killed him on the spot, promise or not.

I stood there in awkward silence for a few more moments as Kagome composed herself, scrubbing her tears away. "Listen," She started, and her voice was shaky, "before you . . . do it, can I just . . . can I have one thing?"

"What is it?" I asked, more than a little suspicious of her request.

"Can I . . ." she swallowed, and she was nervous. I could tell that without having to smell. "Can I hug you?"

I was stumped. It was such a strange request, and as to why she wanted it was beyond me. And _why_ did she want to hug _me_? Where did she get off on that? I was a half demon. I was appalling to humans, all humans. Even Kikyo had been wary of me initially, and even at other points in our relationship. So what was different about this girl? Why did she want me to _hug _her? Of all the last requests . . . it was by far that last one I'd been expecting.

"Hug you?" I demanded. "Are you crazy? What the hell kind of last request is that? Who said I wanted to hug _you_?" In truth, I was frustrated. I didn't understand why she wanted to hug the scary half demon, and I didn't understand why my body didn't seem to have a problem with hugging her at all. But I did. I didn't want to hug her. It was . . . it was _weird_.

"I don't care if you want to or not!" Kagome stamped her foot. "You're going to kill me anyway! So if you just give me what I want then you can kill me and I can't bother you anymore!"

I glared at her. "Feh! You're the weirdest human I've ever met." I muttered.

"So, can I?" she persisted.

"I . . ." I felt a blush spread across my face, and I avoided looking at her out of embarrassment. I wasn't used to this. There had never been a woman in this world who had wanted to be close to me, except for Kikyo. But like I said before, she hadn't been too keen on it all the time. Kikyo wasn't a physical being. She was a spiritual one. So physical intimacy wasn't her thing so much as it was mine. I had wanted to be more physically intimate (and no, I don't necessarily mean laying with her) but . . . Kikyo had set boundaries. She had kept me at arm's length. I'd only kissed her once.

"I . . . I guess." I finally relented, and she stepped forward, and slipped her arms around my waist, and her head rested on my shoulder. I was tense, and my arms hung limply at my sides. I wasn't sure what I wanted. I didn't know whether I wanted to hug her back or not. It was so intimate, hugging someone like this. I hadn't ever been hugged like this before by a woman outside of my mother.

Kagome's body was soft, and she was so warm. Her fragrance, like a sweet citrus, wafted all around me, invading my senses, and my own body heated up in response to hers, and not just with a blush. I felt the foreign pangs of desire, feeling her curves pressing into my body, and her hair tickled my neck as we stood there.

"You don't have to be a limp fish you know." she said softly. "You can hug me back. I won't call you a pervert. I promise."

It was so trivial, so childish. And yet . . . my arms slowly lifted, and I wrapped them around her back, and held her closer to me. I felt my heart soften, against my will, and slowly, my cheek rested against her hair. She fit in my arms like a puzzle piece.

"Why did you . . . want to hug me?" I finally asked. I couldn't resist. Before I ended her life, I had to know. I had to know why this girl was different.

"Well I've . . . I've never been with a boy before. Never even hugged one. And if . . . if I'm going to die . . . I don't want to die never having anything." Kagome whispered.

I didn't really understand it. Before I had met Kikyo, if I had died without falling in love, I was fine with that. I wanted to die in battle, die fighting. Love had never even occurred to me. It had never been an option, and love had been the last thing on my list. But . . . I had fallen for Kikyo, and she for me. So the fact that Kagome expressed this desire showed how she differed from me in that aspect.

But I didn't have regrets when it came to love. I had done all I could for Kikyo, and I had still lost her. Looking back on it, there was no way I could have saved her. Kikyo had been doomed the minute we met. I had sworn, after Kikyo died, I would never love another. And I still held to that.

I suppose, in a way, I could comprehend it. Kagome was a woman, after all. Women had more desires about love than men. And she was young. It was only natural she wanted to have experiences with a man.

Even though it wasn't me specifically she was after, but a man to hold her, it still touched something inside of me, that she wasn't appalled by me. My heart felt strange. I had to kill this girl now. I couldn't linger here any longer. I wasn't sure how long Naraku was willing to wait for my return.

I pushed her back, and she let out a sound of surprise as I shoved her back. She stumbled, and landed on her butt, and looked up at me with wide eyes. "Are you ready?" I asked gruffly, and lifted my hand, my claws at the ready.

Her eyes began to water again, but then she nodded shakily, and closed her eyes, tensing. I watched her for a moment, my gut wrenching, and I reared my claw back to strike.

"Stop right there!"

I looked up, and I had just enough time to register Kagome's grandfather, before he threw a spirit sutra in my direction, and it landed on my chest. I snarled, and I reached up to pull it off, but the old man began to chant, and I howled in agony as bolts of energy and heat seared through my body. A few seconds later, the world began to spin, and I fell unconscious.

**All right . . . as you can tell, this story will be a little bit more adult in sexual situations. Trust me, some of you may not like it. But, it fits the story. So, you have been warned. Let me know what you thought in a review! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok. Not much of a response on the first chapter, but it hasn't been posted that long, so, that's understandable. To the people who did review, thank you. And remember. If you're reading this story, leave a review. Even if it's only two words, because trust me, I will highly appreciate it. :D Once again, this story is NOT going to be for kids in later chapters. You'll see what I mean. **

Chapter two

"Hmm . . . this creature we have before us is a hanyou."

"You mean a half demon? But how? I didn't even think demons existed."

"Are you sure, father? Oh, but he's such a handsome boy too. I would hate to think he was evil."

"His ears are cool! I wanna touch them!"

I felt a set of fingers on one of my ears, tugging slightly, and that was enough to wake me up out of my stupor. I was groggy, to say the least, and my body was sore. I had taken quite the beating, and I now knew killing Kagome was not going to be an easy task. Obviously I'd underestimated her grandfather.

I opened my eyes, and I saw four pairs of eyes looking back at me. I felt a rush of discomfort. "What the hell are all of you gawkin' at, anyway?" I demanded. "Is there somethin' stuck on my face?"  
Kagome's mother giggled slightly. "Well, he's certainly a lively one. How long do you think your seal will hold, father?"

Kagome's grandfather stroked his beard thoughtfully. "There's no real way to tell, but I assure you, we've got plenty of time on our hands."

"Seal?" I demanded, and I looked down at my chest, seeing that blasted sutra was still in place. I reached to remove it, but realized I couldn't really move, except for my head. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Kagome lifted her eyebrows. "Not to mention, he's got a foul attitude. I still can't believe he tried to kill me."

I snarled up at her. "Shut your trap or I'll finish the job!"

"You will do no such thing. You can't break that seal, no matter how powerful a demon you are." Kagome's grandfather said rather calmly. "I'm going to take a gander that you're a dog demon, due to your mannerisms and appearance."

"What of it?" I demanded, annoyed he was right.

"That's what I thought. Well, I suppose since I've got you under control, there's no sense in you keeping that locket. You will return it to my granddaughter at once." He reached down, and into the folds of my robe, and withdrew said locket. I glowered up at him.

"You're gonna pay for this, you old man! I'd come up there and finish you off, if you didn't look half dead already!" I snarled.

All of them turned away from me, as if I was a child they could just ignore. "Father, when the seal does wear off, what are we going to do with him? He's obviously a threat to Kagome and I can't just allow that. I won't let my daughter be slaughtered." Kagome's mother said, looking at me a bit more worriedly as I struggled to reach the sutra, but to no avail. I just wasn't strong enough.

"Oh don't worry. I've got a trick up my sleeve that will entirely diminish his threat. He will be no problem at all to contain. You'll have to give me a moment to go to my shrine and retrieve the beads of subjugation." Kagome's grandfather replied. My ears flickered at that.

"Beads of subjugation?" I demanded, as he left the room. I didn't like the sound of that at all.

"Well, you went and broke my chain. I'll have to get a new one." Kagome complained, looking at the broken gold chain to her locket.

"Quit your bitchin'!" I snapped. "I could have snapped your neck like that, you know!"  
"Now now, language." Kagome's mother chided, as if I was a child in need of reprimanding. It was infuriating. "That's no way to address a lady."

"You think you can boss me around!"

"So, can I touch your ears?" Sota knelt down by the couch, his expression eager. I looked at him like he was crazy. It wasn't as if I could stop him, but I wasn't gonna give him permission to do whatever the hell he wanted.

"Don't you even dare." I bared my fangs at him.

"It's not like he can do anything, Sota." Kagome reminded her brother, and I shot daggers at her. "Touch away."

"Get your hands off me!" I snarled, and Sota hesitated, before he reached forward and grasped one of my ears again, and tugged. He laughed at my furious expression. "C'mon, it can't be that bad. I'm not pullin' that hard." He said.

"I'm gonna kill you all!" I declared pitifully, as he continued to tug at my sensitive ear.

"Ahh, here it is." Kagome's grandfather returned, and in his hand, he held a rosary. It was a set of round blue beads, and every five beads in the set, there was a white bead that was shaped like a fang. I could practically feel the magic emanating from it, and I looked at it fearfully.

"This is permanent, and he will have no threat whatsoever with this. Luckily, the spell doesn't come into effect until the beads are placed upon the subject and activated. So, the spell will hold forever." he went on cheerfully, seeming proud of this rosary. He walked over to me, and slipped the beads around my neck.

"Take this damn thing off of me right now! I'm warning you-!" My threats were promptly ignored.

"So, how do you get it to work?" Kagome asked, looking at the rosary curiously.

"It requires a trigger word. And, it will work specifically for you, Kagome, as I have just enchanted it to work at your command, that way you will be safe when we're not around. The word doesn't particularly matter, because whatever word you choose will hold his spirit." Kagome's grandfather went on, seeming to puff with pride at his creation by the minute. I grumbled to myself.

"Can't he take it off?" Kagome asked cautiously.

"Of course not. There's not a demon in this world that could remove it. Only you have the power to break the spell and remove it, if you so choose." Kagome's grandfather explained.

"Well, I guess I just need to think of a good trigger word." Kagome put a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Since you're a half dog demon . . . I've got it!" her eyes lit up with inspiration, and I felt more and more nervous by the minute.

"All of you are crazy." I dared to say, and I was still ignored.

"Well, since it seems everything is good and well, I'm going to go fix that poor boy something to eat. His stomach has done nothing but growl." Kagome's mother said, looking at me sympathetically. I flushed with embarrassment, looking away.

"Well, I guess I'll go to my room and finish up my homework before I go to bed." Sota stood up, and disappeared from the room. Kagome's grandfather followed her mother into the kitchen, and I was left with Kagome.

"Hey." She looked over at me. "Take this thing off." I said, referring to the sutra.

"And I would do that why?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow at me.

"Because you've got these beads of subjugation or whatever already. So you don't need this fuckin' sutra. So take it off!" I insisted. _If __I __can __get __her __to __come __over __here and __remove __it__, __I__'__ll __have __a __split __second __to __kill __her __before __she __uses __the __trigger __word __to __activate __these __beads__. __I__'__ve __got __to __take __that __chance__._

"All right." Kagome walked over to me, and reached down, peeling the sutra from my chest and stepping back.

In an instant, I was on my feet, and I dove towards her, but apparently Kagome wasn't as stupid as I thought, for she very calmly said, "Sit boy!"

The beads around my neck began to glow a bright pink, and I only had a split second to register this before my face was violently smashed into the floor. I lay there, for a minute, not sure whether I wanted to scream or cry.

"Wow grandpa!" Kagome exclaimed. "You've really outdone yourself this time! This is amazing!"

I picked my face off the ground and groaned. "Oh man . . ."

"Now now Kagome, don't be too rough. He is our guest." Her mom called from the kitchen.

"Hmph. 'Guest' she says. Some guest." Kagome muttered, and looked down at me. I was still on the floor, contemplating whether or not I wanted to get up. I wasn't so sure I wanted to provoke her. I didn't think I wanted to be 'sat' again.

"Keh!" I finally picked myself up off the ground and stood up, avoiding looking at Kagome. I was pissed, that was for sure, but there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. So I plopped down onto the couch, sitting indian style, and folding my arms in the sleeves of my fire rat robe.

"What's the long face for? You should have known that would happen if you tried to attack me." Kagome said, and sat down beside me. I glared over at her.

"Don't push my buttons, bitch! I've got enough trouble as it is, dealin' with you!" I snapped.

"You're so rude!" She accused. "And to think, I actually wanted to hug you."

"Well whose fault is that?" I said snootily, turning away from her. "You're the one hugging random strangers. I can't help it if their personality doesn't suit your taste."

"You're the one who _gropes_ random strangers!" Kagome accused. " 'It was an accident' he says. Yeah right!"

This sparked my temper. "It was! I don't have any interest in you, _trust __me_."

Kagome flushed with embarrassment, and crossed her arms over her chest, pouting and looking away from me. "Hmph! Well excuse me!" Unable to come up with an intelligent response, I just grunted, "Keh." and I looked over at the wall, so I didn't have to look at her.

Stupid, frustrating, annoying human . . . "Well, here we are." Kagome's mother entered the room, carrying a tray laden with food that smelled absolutely wonderful to my empty stomach. My ears perked up slightly. That was one thing that drove me insane. My ears would move on their own when something caught my interest, or when I was extremely emotional. It made me feel self conscious sometimes.

She set the tray down in front of me on the small table in front of the couch, and said, "Well, eat up! Let me know what you think! I'm always eager to know what people think of my cooking!"

"Oh, uh . . . sure." I felt a bit embarrassed, because I wasn't used to having someone cook for me. I was used to hunting and cooking for myself. No one but my mother had ever cooked for me before. I slid off the couch and reached down, picking up the chopsticks. I was quite aware that Kagome's mother was watching me carefully, along for Kagome, obviously trying to gouge my reactions to the food. It was a bit unnerving.

I hesitantly took a bite, and chewed slowly, and the flavors in the food were great. It was the best food I'd had in a long time, and that was saying something, as I could be pretty picky at times. "It's good." I admitted. "Not bad."

Kagome's mother flushed with pleasure. "Oh really? Well, I'm glad you like it! If you want seconds, just let me know! There's plenty more in the kitchen!"

I blushed a little bit myself, and continued to eat, very aware Kagome was staring at me as her mother returned to the kitchen. Finally, I grew tired of it. My ears flicked with annoyance. "Are you gonna stare at me the whole time?" I demanded, glaring at her.

"I'm just trying to figure out what's going on in your head." Kagome admitted. "You were so intent on killing me, but . . . right now . . . you don't seem like the type of person to kill."

"Keh! What do you know?" I looked back down at my food and continued to eat.

"Well, I know that you hesitated." Kagome replied.

"What are you talkin' about?" I demanded.

"Well, before, when you had to kill me, you had plenty of opportunities to kill me right away. But you didn't. You even said you didn't want to kill me." Kagome pointed out. "So you can't be all bad."

"Hmph!" Don't over analyze things, wench! I just don't like killin' girls, is all! But for you, I can probably make an exception!" I dared to say, and looked at her in fear when her expression darkened.

"Why you . . . SIT!"

"NGH!" My face hit the floor despite the fact I was already sitting down, and I whimpered, my ears flattening to my head.

"You really should learn not to be so rude. I wouldn't have to 'sit' you if you weren't-" Kagome cut off as my face hit the ground again. "Oops! That one was an accident! Really!"

I bolted up from the ground, fangs bared and fists clenched. "You think this is funny!" I snarled.

Kagome stared at me with wide eyes for a minute, before she began to giggle. I looked at her like she'd grown a second head as giggles turned into full blown laughter, and she was clutching at her stomach.

"What in the hell is funny about this situation?" I demanded. She had to be out of her mind!

"What _isn__'__t_ funny about it? Oh my . . ." Kagome sighed, and wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to make you do it again."

"Hmph! I'll get you back for all of it." I promised menacingly.

"I'm sure you will. Look, you should probably tell me your name. I think we've been through enough for an introduction now." she commented, as I resumed eating.

"I don't gotta do nothin'. You don't need to know my name. All you need to know is I'm gonna have that locket and there's nothing you can do about it." I replied haughtily.

"Oh really? That's funny, considering all I have to do to make you obey is say the word 'si-'"

I reached over and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Don't you _dare_ finish that."

"That's what I thought." Kagome said smugly. "Now, are you going to tell me your name?"

I sulked a bit. "It's Inuyasha." I muttered.

"Hmm. It fits you. All except the 'friendly' part." Kagome commented. "I'm Kagome Higurashi."

"I know who you are." I muttered, choosing to ignore her comment on my name.

"Then you might want to call me Kagome instead of 'wench' or 'bitch'." she replied, and she had me there. "Now that that's out of the way, I want to try something."  
"Eh? What are you- Hey!" She reached up and grasped one of my ears, and tweaked it. "Get your hands off!" I swatted at her hand, but she ignored me, and continued to tweak it. It didn't hurt or anything, but I didn't like people messing with my ears. I hated it. It made me feel more like a dog than anything else.

"I love your ears." Kagome admitted, and I hated the blush that lit my face at her statement. "They're great."

"Hmph. Funny you mention that." I finally managed to weasel out of her grip, and a look of disappointment crossed her face. It would have been amusing if I hadn't already been irritated.

"Say, Inuyasha, so now that you're here . . . well, how _did_ you get here?" Kagome asked, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Keh. Through the Bone Eater's well. How else?"

"Really?" That seemed to perk her interest. "But that's . . . grandpa's never allowed either me or Sota to get near the well, much less travel through it. So you can really travel through time? Are you from Feudal Japan? Your kimono is very old."

"Well, the year is 1426 where I'm from."

"The Warring State's era." Kagome confirmed. "It's 2011 here."

"What!" I outburst. I had gone _that_ far into the future? No wonder there were so many things here that made no sense to me.

"Yep. So you're a long way from home. And . . . your reasons for coming here are to get this locket I have?" Kagome questioned. Then, her expression darkened, and her tone became sad. "And to kill me?"

I felt my ears lower, and I couldn't look at her without that guilty feeling again. "Well, uh . . . yeah, more or less."

"I see." Kagome sighed. "You said before that killing me was orders you had been given. Who told you to kill me?"

"Hmph! That's enough questions, don't you think?" Personally, I didn't need Kagome getting involved in all of this mess. I had enough on my hands, dealing with what I had to deal with. Naraku was enough of a hassle.

_Speaking __of __him__ . . . __what __am I __going __to __do__? __I__'__m __at __a __huge __dilemma __right __now__. __He __didn__'__t __necessarily __give __me __any __time __limit__, __but __he __did __say __that __the __Bone __Eater__'__s __Well __would __practically __take __me __straight __to __Kagome__. __He __would __expect __me __to __have __the __locket __by __now__ . . . __and __for __Kagome __to __be __dead__. __So__ . . . __what __can __I __do__? __She__'__s __got __these __stupid __beads __of __subjugation __on __me__. __It __looks __like __I__'__m __stuck __here__._ I groaned quietly under my breath. Too many problems to think about. _If __I __don__'__t __get __back __to __Naraku __soon__, __who __knows __what __will __happen__?_

"It must be someone who really doesn't like me." Kagome went on, pulling me from my thoughts. "But I've lived here my whole life. If it's someone from the past . . . I don't know why they'd want me dead. What do you think, Inuyasha?"

"Ugh, look, I don't know how his mind works." I muttered, and it was true. I had no idea why it was necessary to kill Kagome. It made no sense to me, and only Naraku had all the answers. To be honest, I really didn't even know why he wanted this damned locket. All I knew was that he had a promise to keep when I brought it to him.

"You're awful touchy you know. You should really loosen up." Kagome commented, and I watched her warily as she scooted closer to me. I tensed a little.

"And you should really scoot back over there. Why do ya gotta be so close all the time?" I complained, and blushed when she scooted closer, a look on her face that said quite plainly she was now doing it just to annoy me.

"Maybe 'cause I like you." She smiled at me, and my face was practically on fire. _She __likes __me__?_

"But you don't know me." I muttered, embarrassed. "And I don't like _you_, so your feelings are kind of useless."

"Well that's fine. I know you wouldn't admit it even if you did like me." Kagome replied. "And I don't mean I'm in love with you. I just mean . . . you're different than anyone else I've ever met. You're rude, but you're fun."

Mrs. Higurashi stuck her head back in the room, and when she saw how close Kagome and I were sitting, a secret, knowing smile came to her lips. "Kagome, I'm going to go prepare a place for your friend to sleep."

"Ok mom." Kagome replied.

"I'm _not_ her friend!" I protested, but Mrs. Higurashi had already disappeared again. "All of you are out of your minds!"

"Our family is a little weird." Kagome agreed. "So, luckily for you, winter break starts in a few days, so I'll have a long break from school, and I won't have to leave you alone."

"Who said I was stayin' ?"

"I did. It's obvious you've got nowhere to go. You're in a strange world and you've got no friends here and no support. You'd starve if we just kicked you out. I mean, you can always go back to your world . . ." Kagome trailed off.

"_Not_ gonna happen!"  
"Then I guess you're stuck here with us." Kagome retorted. "So once winter break starts, I can really show you around. It'll be fun. I'll teach you lots of things about this era."

"All right. I've got a bed for you to sleep in." Mrs. Higurashi reappeared, and smiled at me. "It's late, so the both of you should go to sleep now."

"Ok, thanks mom. C'mon." Kagome reached down and took my hand, and I blushed again as she pulled me to my feet and tugged me toward a set up stairs and led me up.

Once in Kagome's room, I saw there was a small mattress now on the floor, covered with blankets. I sighed, and promptly, I went and sat down, leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing? Mom made this bed for you." Kagome said, sounding annoyed.

"I'm not sleepin' there." I muttered. "I always sleep like this. I never sleep in a bed."

"But she-"

"If you've gotta problem with it then you can take it and shove it! I'm sleepin' like this and there's nothin' you can do about it! So get off my back!" I snapped, and Kagome glared at me.

She flopped down onto her bed and I watched curiously as she hit a switch on a round thing on her nightstand, and the light went out. The round thing had a weird shade on it, and it was pink, and that was where the light source had been coming from. I decided I'd ask Kagome what it was later.

_There __probably __won__'__t __be __a __later__. __I__'__m __gonna __take __that __necklace __as __soon __as __she __falls __asleep __and __then __I__'__m __outta __here__. __No __more __lingering__._ I thought grimly, and closed my eyes, faking sleep.

I wasn't sure how long I stayed like that, but it wasn't long until Kagome's breathing and heart beat slowed, and she was sound asleep. I rose smoothly, and padded over to her bed, thankful she had carpet to keep my feet from making noise on the floor. I watched her in her sleep for a moment. She looked so peaceful, and her thick black hair spilled all around her like a halo. She almost looked . . .

I shook my head quickly. I wasn't going to think anything like that. "Damn. Might as well get it now." I whispered to myself, and I reached down, and very carefully slid the necklace from her neck. Once the locket was in my hand, I felt a rush of satisfaction. I would just have to explain the circumstances to Naraku when I returned, and if he didn't like it, then he wouldn't get his fucking locket.

I turned toward her window to leave, but something stopped me. Kagome sighed in her sleep, and then I heard her mumble, "Inuyasha . . ."

I froze, and I looked back toward her. "Is she dreaming about me?" I stepped back toward her bed, and my heart was beating just a little faster. I couldn't believe it, honestly.

Kagome sighed again. "Sit."

My face hit the floor, and I growled as I bolted back up and glared furiously down at her, my fists clenched and raised. _Her __dream __is __my __nightmare__!_ I thought angrily. "Damn, she's a heavy sleeper. I better get outta here. Feh. It's almost been fun, kid." I looked at her for another moment before I slid her window open and jumped out, and started heading for the shrine.

**So he takes the locket anyway. Damn traitor. :P Let's see where he's gonna go with it, shall we? **

**Review please! Always appreciated! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter three. Ok, I'm just gonna start off by saying this. I KNOW people are favoriting this story and putting it on their alerts and whatnot. You KNOW who you are. If you are doing this, you should leave a review if you're reading this story. If I'm writing this story for you to read, I would love very much to know what you think of it and if you're enjoying it. I haven't really gotten that much of a response for this story, so it makes me worry that it's not very good . . . so if you like it, please let me know, even if it's only one word. **

Chapter three

I surfaced from the well, and felt a rush of relief when I looked around and recognized my own era. I glanced down at the locket in my clawed hand. _So __much __trouble __for __this__. __Who __would __have __thought__? __I__'__d __better __find __that __bastard __Naraku__._ I thought.

I sniffed the air, and sure enough, I caught the damned spider youkai's scent quite easily. I took off running in the direction of the scent, and found it was leading me toward the sacred tree. Within seconds, I was by the sacred tree, where his scent ended.

"I know you're around, Naraku. Come out." I called, and I heard a low chuckle, and then some rustling.

"Inuyasha, such a pleasant surprise. It feels as if you've been gone for years."

I turned, facing Naraku, who stood there, a smirk upon his face. I held up the locket for him to see. "Cut the shit, Naraku. I've got your locket."

"But you did not kill the girl, I see." Naraku commented.

"Oh yeah? And how do you know?" I demanded.

Naraku smiled, and it was unnerving. "I am aware of everything that goes on, Inuyasha, when it comes to you and that girl. I know much more than you would believe."

"I'm sick of hearing you blab on and on. Like I said, I've got your locket. I never promised to kill the girl. You can either keep your end of the bargain or you can forget about getting this locket." I threatened.

"Are you threatening me?" Naraku raised his eyebrows. "Do you forget what my end of the promise was?" Naraku held out his hand, and a large white orb appeared, and it glowed brightly. There was a pang in my chest. _Kikyo__ . . ._

"Kikyo's soul." Naraku murmured. "She will not rest in peace if I do not allow it. I have the power to hold her here, bound to this earth. I can send her into the depths of hell at any moment."

As to how Naraku possessed this power, I would never know. But suddenly Kikyo's soul turned red, and began pulsing frantically. "No!" I shouted. "Stop! Just stop it, you bastard!"

Naraku laughed, and the sound was cruel. "Then remember your place, half demon. Be aware of just what I hold here, in my hand." Naraku lowered his hand, and Kikyo's soul vanished. "Now, luckily for you . . . I no longer wish for you to kill Kagome. I have a new idea in mind for you, concerning that girl."

I felt anger course through me. "Can't we just leave her out of this? This is between you and me."

"Ahh, but remember Inuyasha. If you do not comply, I will not let Kikyo rest." Naraku reminded me, and I reluctantly grew silently, though I continued to bare my fangs at him. "It has come to my attention that I require that girl. Inuyasha, I have a new task for you. You will return to Kagome, and you will return the locket to her . . . for the time being."

"There has to be more than that." I said flatly.

Naraku smirked. "We're going to make things more interesting. I wish for you to make her fall in love with you."

I was shocked. "What! What the hell kind of sick game are you playin' at?"  
"It all has a purpose, Inuyasha. I assure you, it will not be in vain." Naraku said smoothly. "You will return to Kagome, give her that locket, and you will woo her. Take as much time as it requires, and do not return until you are positive of her feelings. She must surely love you before you return."

"Why! To what end?"

"It will all be explained in due time." Naraku answered cryptically. "Do not question my methods, Inuyasha. Remember, if you do not comply . . ." he lifted his hand and Kikyo's soul appeared again, but this time, I could hear her voice.

"_Inuyasha__ . . . __Inuyasha__, __protect __me_!" Her voice was urgent, and my heart throbbed painfully.

"I'm well aware of the consequences." I said flatly, to make him stop. "But there's no guarantees that I can make Kagome fall in love with me. Kikyo was pure luck. I'm a half demon."

Naraku laughed. "I have no doubt of your abilities, Inuyasha. You are also half human. And Kagome is a woman. What woman can resist a devoted man? Woo her, shower her with attention, and make sure she gives her heart to you. Then return to me, with her, and with that locket."

In that moment, I almost said no. The only thing that kept my big mouth shut was the fact that I owed this to Kikyo, to save her soul. I had to do this, for her. If I had to burn in hell for what I was going to do, so be it. If I could save her, it would be enough.

"Fine, you sick bastard." I spat, and turned to stalk away.

"Language, Inuyasha." Naraku chided pleasantly. "Remember, it all has a purpose, which will be explained in due time. I look forward to your return."

I didn't respond to that as I took off running toward the well.

_This __is __wrong__. __There__'__s __no __guarantee __I __can __even __succeed __in __this __task__, __no __matter __how __confident __Naraku __seems __that __I __can__. __I __can__'__t __explain __how __or __why __Kikyo __fell __in __love __with __me__. __I __certainly __don__'__t __know __how __Kagome __would__. _

_Not __to __mention__ . . . __if __Naraku __now__ '__requires__' __Kagome__, __like __he __said__, __that __means __it __can__'__t __end __well __for __her__. __What __if __he __plans __to __kill __her__? __I__'__ll __be __responsible__. __Anything __that __happens __to __her __concerning __him __is __my __fault__. __If __she __dies__ . . . __it__'__s __on __my __hands__. __Can __I __live __with __that __on __my __shoulders__? __Would __Kikyo __approve __of __any __of __this__, __if __she __was __still __alive__? _I closed my eyes and felt a pang of loneliness for Kikyo I hadn't felt in a long time, having suppressed such feelings.

I was back in Kagome's room, and I was seated indian style on her window sill, looking outside, and up at the moon, which was growing smaller. In a few days I'd have to deal with the new moon, which was just another annoyance.

I had also slipped Kagome's locket back around her neck. She didn't have to know anything about Naraku. I vowed that I wouldn't tell her anything. I couldn't tell her anything at all. Not anything. If she asked . . . I would just have to sidestep the topic. It was all I could do.

Honestly . . . I wasn't sure how to go about making Kagome fall in love with me. I had never been the romantic type. It was worrying me to death. I was worried I wouldn't succeed in the task. And, of course, there was always rejection. She could reject me. And honestly, I almost hoped that she would. So I would have to tell Naraku she didn't love me.

_There__'__s __no __sense __in __worrying __myself __to __death __about __it __right __now__. __I __need __to __get __some __sleep__. __I__'__ve __got __a__long __day __ahead __of __me__._ I thought grimly, and closed my eyes, resting my head back.

A sweet scent wafted into my nostrils, and I could tell it was the scent of food. I felt my mouth water slightly, and I opened my eyes slightly, only to see a large pair of blue eyes framed with long, thick back lashes barely an inch away from mine.

"Ah! What are you doin'?" I demanded, since Kagome was so close. I felt myself flush. "Can't a guy have some space?"  
"Well good morning!" Kagome said cheerfully, and held a plate of what looked like bread up higher. But the bread was cooked, and there was brown stuff all over it, and a thick, sweet smelling liquid covered it.

"What's that?" I asked bluntly.

"French toast. It's what Americans eat for breakfast. Or maybe French people. But mom decided to make it. So try it." Kagome proffered it to me.

"Americans?" I asked suspiciously, and slowly took the plate from her.

"They're foreign people." Kagome explained. "Here." She handed me a strange, silver utensil that had four prongs sticking from the end of it. "This is a fork. It'll be easy to use."

"Hmph." I began to use the 'fork' to cut the 'french toast', and Kagome sat down on her own bed indian style, and picked up her own plate. "How long have you been up, anyway?"

"Not too long. You just looked so peaceful, so I didn't want to wake you up." Kagome replied. "You're cute when you sleep."

I blushed, and looked out the window. "Keh. Only you would think so."

Kagome smiled. "You blush a lot."

"Yeah, well, you get on my nerves a lot."

Kagome's smile vanished, and she glared at me. "You know, I could use those beads on you . . ." At my fearful expression, she looked satisfied. "That's what I thought."

The 'french toast' was rather sweet, and it wasn't bad, not at all. I was beginning to grow very fond of Kagome's mom's cooking. "Tell your mom this is good."

"You can tell her yourself." Kagome waggled her finger at me as she finished hers and stood up. "And you need a bath."

My ears lowered, and my mood darkened. "A bath? Why would I need one of those?" I grumbled.

"Because you've got a bunch of dirt on your feet and your clothes!" Kagome chided. "So I'll show you to the bathing room. And Sota can help you out, since you're new to everything. He needs a bath too, anyway."

Kagome took my plate from me when I finished and stacked it on top of hers. "Sota!" She called. "Come in here!"

Her little brother appeared a few seconds later, his brown eyes curiously looking to me. He couldn't have been more than nine or ten years old. "Yeah sis?"

"Can you help Inuyasha take a bath while I help mom with the dishes?" Kagome requested.

"Sure thing. C'mon Inuyasha." Sota walked over to me and grabbed my sleeve, pulling me along with him. I glared at Kagome on the way out, and she stuck her tongue out at me. I just "Hmphed!" and turned away from her.

Once we were in the bathing room, Sota began to undress, and I grumbled under my breath as I did the same. "You can put your dirty clothes there." Sota pointed to a white basket, and I tossed my clothes haphazardly within.

"This is shampoo. Kagome told me you were from the Feudal Era, so you must not have shampoo in your world." Sota showed me a bottle filled with a strange blue substance.

" 'Shampoo' ?" The word sounded foreign to me.

"Yeah, you put it in your hair and rub it until it makes lots and lots of bubbles." Sota went on. "But your hair is really long, so it's gonna take a lot of shampoo! I'll have to help you out."

"What? You're not putting that blue slime in my hair!" I protested, wary of the bottle of 'shampoo'.

"But you have to!" Sota's expression fell. "That's the only way to get your hair clean!"

"Soap worked just fine for me." I said stubbornly. The blue stuff looked like it was going to come alive any moment.

"But this gets it cleaner. And plus, it smells good. C'mon Inuyasha, I promise you'll like it." Sota begged, his eyes practically pleading with me.

"Keh, whatever. Just don't pull my hair, kid." I grumbled finally, unable to resist his expression. Crossing my arms over my chest I sat down in the water upon his request, and a moment later, I felt his hands in my hair, and wetting it, before he began to rub the weird blue stuff through it. It did smell sort of nice, and it wasn't girly, at least. It was a pretty masculine scent.

It seemed like forever before he finished washing my hair and rinsed all the shampoo out. "Man, that was work." Sota complained, and then he picked up the soap and handed it to me, along with a brush. "Here you go."

"Yeah yeah." I began to lather the soap onto my body as he picked up the shampoo and started to use it in his own hair.

"So, do you like sis?" Sota asked conversationally as we bathed.

"Huh?" I looked to him in confusion. "Like her? Tch. Of course not."

Sota looked disappointed. "But why not? She's real pretty."

"Well, uh . . . I don't pay attention to that stuff anyway!" I said, as an excuse not to have to respond to that statement. I tried not to think about whether or not Kagome was pretty. _But __maybe __I __should__, __considering __I__'__m __supposed __to __be __making __her __fall __in __love __with __me__._

"Well, you'll like her. I'm sure of it." Sota said with confidence. "I think sis likes you."

I felt a warm blush spread across my face. "Keh! Doesn't matter if she does or not! It ain't gonna get her anywhere."

Sota just shook his head.

A short while later, we were both done bathing, and Sota lent me a pair of what he called 'sweatpants' and a 't-shirt' that he said used to belong to his dad before he died. It made me feel a bit apprehensive about wearing them, but he reassured me so I wore them anyway.

I returned to Kagome's room, to find her seated at her desk and once again writing with that strange wooden utensil. She glanced up upon my entrance, and her eyebrows lifted. "Your hair is soaking wet! Ugh, that Sota. Here, sit down on my bed."

I looked at her suspiciously before I did so, and Kagome stood up and left the room. She returned a moment later, carrying a strange device in her hand. She plugged it into the wall before she sat down on the bed behind me. I felt her running a comb through my hair, and she asked, "Did you use conditioner?"

" 'Conditioner' ? No. I used 'shampoo'." I replied, and the sensation of her running a brush through my hair felt good and was relaxing. I felt my ears twitch against my will.

"Wow. Your hair is so pretty and tangleless. How you get it that way without using conditioner is beyond me. I wish I had hair as pretty as yours." Kagome commented, continuing to brush my hair.

"Keh. It gets in the way most of the time."

"Why don't you cut it?" she asked, as she finished brushing it.

"Because that's dishonorable." I replied, thinking that would be obvious. I heard a sudden loud noise from behind me, and I felt hot air blowing onto my hair. I jumped, and looked over my shoulder, seeing Kagome was pointing the strange device toward my hair, and the hot air was issuing from the end of it.

"Relax." She cooed. "It's just a hairdryer. It won't hurt you."

"You could have warned me first!" I fussed, baring my fangs at her.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Suck it up. Don't be a baby. Turn around so I can dry your hair."  
"Keh." I did so, and she resumed blowing the hot air onto my hair. It was soothing, to feel the warm air and to feel her fingers combing through my hair. I felt a few cold chills, but I resisted them, refusing to show her she had any kind of effect on me.

"There we go!" Kagome finally finished drying my hair, and she combed through it one last time. "Man, it's so silky! How comes the guys get all the pretty hair and the girls don't?" She grumbled.

I couldn't resist grinning. "That's because I've got looks and power."

"Tch. Don't flatter yourself." Kagome stood up off the bed and unplugged her 'hairdryer' and left the room with it. When she returned, she had her arms crossed over her chest.

"Since you tried to kill me yesterday, you owe me a favor." She announced.

"Oh really?" I asked sarcastically. "And that would be?"

"Well, there's a festival they'll be hosting in the town park . . ." Kagome started, and I was surprised to see a slow blush cross her face. "And many people will be dressing up. It's to celebrate the winter solstice, when the spirits of those we love are closest to the earth. And . . . I would like you to go with me."

"Hmph. Do I have to dress up?"

"No. You can actually wear the clothes you came with, because they'll fit right in with everyone else. It'll be perfect. You won't even have to cover your ears, because there are tons of people who come there dressed up like that." Kagome explained, sounding eager that I wasn't arguing about it.

"Keh. Fine." _I __guess __this __is __a __start__. __I __can__ '__court__' __her __like __this_. "When is this festival of yours?"

"It's the night after tomorrow." Kagome replied, and she was blushing again. She had a little smile on her lips, and she was shifting nervously, and I wondered if the fact that I agreed to it had something to do with her behavior. "My friends Sango and Miroku will be going too."

I felt a rush of shock. "Did you say Sango and Miroku?"

Kagome looked at me, surprise written on her face. "Yes, why?"

"That can't be right. I already know Sango and Miroku." I replied, feeling as confused as she looked.

"You do? How?"

"Well, I guess maybe . . . this Sango and Miroku of yours has to be different than the ones I'm talking about. They must be reincarnations. In my era, Miroku is a monk, and Sango is a demon slayer. And they're married." I replied.

"Oh really? Wow. That's got to be fate, then! Miroku is Sango's boyfriend in this world, and they're already engaged to be married." Kagome replied. "How romantic. Even their reincarnations are in love."

"Keh. Sounds mushy to me." I grouched, and stood up from her bed. "I'm going to take a wild guess that the Miroku you know is a lecher? And Sango's got a big temper when he gropes her?"

"Yep, that's them all right." Kagome laughed. "I can't believe this. Man, it must be destiny that we met. Don't you think?" She smiled at me, and I felt a strange feeling in my chest, one I hadn't gotten since I'd known Kikyo. I looked away, flushing a little.

"Well, do you want to meet them?" Kagome questioned hopefully.

"I'm not sure if it's a good idea. They might not be so friendly to a half demon." I replied. _I__'__m __not __best __friends __with __Miroku __and __Sango __in __my __era__, __but __I __am __friends __with __them__. __But __I __have __no __idea __how __they__'__ll __react __to __me __in __this __era__. __They __might __not __be __so __accepting__._

"Oh come on. It'll be fun! We just need to get you some clothes." Kagome grabbed my hand and tugged me from her room, with me protesting, "Hey! Why do you gotta drag me all over the place?"

While I was waiting for Kagome to get me some clothes in the livingroom, I glanced over at her grandfather, who was sitting with a large gray paper in his hands. "What's that?" I asked.

He glanced at me from over the paper. "This is the newspaper, my boy. It displays all the current news going on in our city. Would you like to take a look?"

"Nah." I continued to examine things in the room. I saw a strange looking black box, and I moved over to it and sat down, seeing it had lots of round knobs. I reached forward and pressed one, and the black box came to life, and a woman appeared on the screen, and she was talking. I leaned forward in fascination, listening as she talked about 'crime rates' and 'tax raises' in the city. She also said something about an 'economy'.

"I see the television got your attention." I glanced up, seeing Mrs. Higurashi smiling down at me. She looked amused.

"How did these people get trapped inside? Did a demon do it?" I asked, curious and a bit concerned.

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "No. No one is trapped inside. It's a bit hard to explain, but a t.v. displays footage that people record."

The sentence was like foreign language to my ears. "Keh! Don't bother tryin' to explain the specifics. This world is weird anyway." I muttered, and Mrs. Higurashi sat down across from her father, sipping tea from a cup.

"Buyo! Come back with that! That's mine!" I heard Sota complain from the kitchen. A minute later, a fat white cat with orange spots came running into the room, with a piece of fish clamped in its mouth. He glanced over at me, and promptly swallowed the fish.

For some reason, I felt the strong urge to play with this cat, and I didn't know why. Buyo watched me carefully, and his tail began to swish.

Kagome's grandfather and Mrs. Higurashi were paying me no attention, and Sota's attention was on Buyo. I crept silently in Buyo's direction, and he watched me the entire time, his tail never ceasing its swishing motion. He almost seemed to be taunting me. Damned cat.

I crept a little closer, and his tail lightly batted my hand. I felt my ears flick. Buyo tensed. I tensed. He crouched. I crouched. He leapt out of the way, and I leapt after him. "CAT!"

"HAHA! Thought you could get away, did you!" I seized Buyo's front paws and hauled him up, yowling, so he had to look at me. "There' s a new animal in the house and _I_ claim ownership of the humans. Got that?" Sota, Mrs. Higurashi, and Kagome's grandfather were now all watching me with wide eyes.

Buyo yowled at me and scratched my hand, and I yelped. "Ow! That hurt!" I glared down at the cat. "Why you little-" I grabbed him again, this time upside down, and laughed maniacally as he yowled in anger and distress.

"Inuyasha!" I heard Kagome say, sounding shocked. "What are you doing to the cat! Sit boy!"

"NGH!" Buyo jumped out of my grip as my face hit the floor, and he bounded away. "Don't think this is over." I growled at him as he left. "Stupid cat . . ."

"Ugh. I'm not even going to ask what that was all about. Here." Kagome handed me a stack of clothes. It was another one of those t-shirts, and something new, a blue pair of pants that were made of a strange material.

"Those are jeans." Kagome explained. "So hurry up and go get dressed."

"Keh. Don't think you can order me around, wench." I retorted, but went to do so. Once I was alone, I slipped the red t-shirt on easily, and pulled my sweatpants off and found a pair of black pants folded in with the jeans, except they were a lot shorter, and had a hole in the crotch. "These must be underwear . . . they look so strange." I mused, but they looked a hell of a lot more comfortable than fundoushi, so I pulled them on, and then I pulled on the jeans.

The jeans had a button, and another strange contraption. I sat there for a moment, fiddling with it, but I couldn't, for the life of me, figure it out. I felt a rush of frustration. "Ugh, stupid . . . Hey! Wench! Come in here!"

Kagome came into the room, and when she saw me, her face turned bright red and she covered her face, crying, "Gross! Inuyasha! What the heck!"

"It's your fault!" I bellowed back, blushing because she was. "I can't figure these things out!"

"Do I have to do everything for you?" she sighed, and moved over to me, and reached down, pulling the strange metal hook up and closing the gap in the pants effectively. Her knuckles brushed my crotch area, and I sucked in a breath, as the area she brushed tingled slightly. I felt my blush deepen, and I swallowed back the feelings, telling myself that I was _not_ attracted to her, not at all.

After the pants were buttoned, Kagome handed me a pair of socks. "Shoes too?" I demanded, annoyed. "I've never worn shoes in my life."

"Well, you're going to now. People in this era don't go barefoot, and you're not going to either. So put these on." Kagome said, and I glowered at her.

"You can't make me." I was going to throw a fit about this one. T-shirts and jeans were one thing, but socks and shoes were another.

"Inuyasha, si-"

"All right all right!" I cut her off before she could finish the word, and she looked at me smugly as she handed me the socks. I snatched them from her and pulled them on, grimacing at the way they felt on my feet.

"And these are my dad's old tennis shoes. Hopefully they'll fit. All you have to do is slip them on." Kagome handed me a pair of strange looking shoes, and I pulled them on with a little difficulty, but luckily, they fit, and they weren't uncomfortable. They just felt . . . strange.

"Well, you clean up rather nice. Now, we just have to cover up those ears." Kagome left the room for a moment, and when she returned, she was carrying a cap. She popped it onto my head, and I pouted a little bit at her, annoyed she was making me wear all of this goofy junk.

"I thought the favor I was doing was going to this festival." I commented, once we were outside and walking down what Kagome had called the 'sidewalk'.

"Haha, very funny. It is. You just have to wear all of this stuff because you have to blend in. You've got stark white hair, fangs, claws, golden eyes, and dog ears." Kagome replied. "That doesn't blend in at all."

"Tch. If you're embarrassed by the way I look then I should have just stayed home." I muttered, and for some reason, Kagome being embarrassed by my appearance stung. I was used to that sort of treatment, so why would she be different?

"Why would I be embarrassed? I love the way you look!" Kagome said, and then her eyes widened and she slapped a hand over her mouth, her face flushing a pretty pink color. I felt a blush light my own face.

"You do?" I demanded, shocked, and, to my surprise, flattered. _Why __does __my __heart __feel __this __way__? __Why __is __Kagome __having __an __effect __on __me __that __Kikyo __never __had__? __Even __Kikyo __didn__'__t __make __me __blush __nearly __this __much__. __So__ . . . __why__?_

"Well, yeah . . ." Kagome cleared her throat, and her voice was shy as she avoided looking at me. It was sort of . . . cute.

No! NO. It was not cute. It was not _cute__._ It. Was. Not. Cute. I didn't find things _cute__._ Especially not _Kagome__._ I found things _manly_. Ahh, yes. Manly.

"Keh." was my intelligent response. I didn't know what to say. Girls hadn't ever talked to me like that before. Kikyo included.

"You seem to have a knack of making me say more than I want to." Kagome admitted shyly, after a moment, as we walked. "No guy's ever done that before."

"Maybe that's because you were talkin' to the wrong ones." I replied, and Kagome looked at me in surprise. "What? It's true. Don't they say that only the ones you love are the ones who bring your true self out?"

"When did you become so wise about love?" Kagome asked in return.

I looked away, my mood darkening considerably. "I didn't." _Kagome __doesn__'__t __ever __need t__o __know __about __Kikyo__. __Well__ . . . __at __least __not __right __now__. __It__'__s __too __complicated__._

"I think you know a little more than you let on." Kagome commented slyly, sidling up to me and elbowing me suggestively. "Who are you thinking about, loverboy?"

"Feh! How could you even think something so incredibly stupid? Me and love aren't exactly the best of pals." I said evasively.

"You're a liar." Kagome replied, giving me a mischievous grin. "You've got the hots for some girl."

I flushed. "What's it matter to you if I did, anyway?"

It was her turn to blush. "It doesn't."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah." Kagome glared at me. "So who is it?"

". . . No one." I looked off to the side, my eyes following the movement of one of those moving metal boxes on rubber wheels. A strange hidden instinct inside me had the urge to chase it, to see if it was faster than me or not.

"Inuyasha? Don't tell me you're thinking about chasing that car, are you?" Kagome snapped me out of my daze. "Man, you're more doglike by the minute!"

"What's that supposed to mean!"

Kagome giggled. "Dogs in this day and age love to chase cars."

"You mean those metal boxes?"

Kagome laughed. "Metal boxes? Yeah. Those are cars. They're used for transportation. They're like this world's version of a carriage. Just a lot faster, and without horses."

"They look dangerous." I replied.

"They are, if you aren't careful." Kagome admitted. "But don't think you've gotten out of the conversation. I know you have the hots for some girl, and you're going to tell me."

"Would you get off my back!"

"Not until you tell me!" Kagome said in an obnoxious singsong voice.

"Can you just drop it?" I demanded, my patience with this human wearing thin.

"Inu's in love, Inu's in love-"

I reached over and clamped a clawed hand over her mouth, and she looked to me with wide eyes. "Look, she died a long time ago, ok? So can you just drop it already?"  
I saw guilt flicker across Kagome's features, and I removed my hand as I glared off, looking away from her. We walked in silence for a few minutes, before she spoke up.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry . . . I didn't know." She said softly, sounding ashamed. When she was talking like that, it was hard for me to stay mad at her.

"Then don't bring it up anymore, stupid." I muttered.

Kagome reached toward me, and then hesitated, before she slipped her hand around mine. I gave a sound of surprise, and I looked down at her, seeing she wasn't looking at me, and she was blushing. Her hand was warm in mine, and her hand was so small compared to mine.

"Don't be mad." She said softly, and I slowly blushed, but I didn't remove my hand from hers. I was even further shocked when I realized I didn't want to pull my hand away.

"I'm not angry, ok? So . . . stop bein' all mushy." I muttered, embarrassed.

Kagome giggled. "You act like you've never held hands with a girl before."

"Of course I have!" I protested, humiliated, though it was a lie. I hadn't ever held hands with a girl. And I was still holding hands with Kagome.

"I don't think you have, so I'll give you the pleasure of holding my hand." She teased, and I just blushed further.

"Geez, you've got a line for _everything_." I complained, and Kagome ignored that.

"Well, here we are. This is Miroku's apartment. He's been an orphan for a long time, so when he turned eighteen, Sango's parents helped him get an apartment, so at least when he and Sango get married, they've got a place to live until they can buy a house." Kagome explained, pointing up to a large building that had a bunch of smaller buildings within it.

I glanced down, realizing I was still holding Kagome's hand. I blushed and pulled my hand back, and I didn't miss the small look of disappointment that went across her face before she covered it up and we walked up to the door and walked inside. I followed Kagome up a flight of steps, and she knocked on a door to the right, and a minute later, Miroku opened the door.

He looked identical in every single way to the Miroku from my era. The only difference were his clothes. He even had two golden hoops in each of his ears. He smiled at Kagome when he saw it was her. "Why Kagome, this is a pleasant surprise for a lovely Saturday. To what do I owe this visit?"

"I came to introduce a friend of mine." Kagome gestured to me, and Miroku's eyes found mine, and his eyebrows lifted.

"Hmm. You look very familiar . . . I don't suppose we've met before?" Miroku asked curiously.

_If__only__he__knew__._ "No, we've never met."

"Oh, well, I could have sworn we had. Sango's inside. Here, come in." Miroku stepped aside, and Kagome and I entered.

The apartment was small, and the furniture wasn't extravagant, but it was nice. Sango was curled up on the couch, a small book in her hands, reading. She also looked exactly as she did in my era, the only difference being her clothes.

Sango looked up as I entered, and her eyebrows rose, as Miroku's had. "Do I know you?" She asked me. "You look so familiar . . ."

Kagome and I exchanged knowing looks, and Miroku just shook his head. "It's funny, I have the same feeling. I really do feel like I know him." Miroku commented, as he joined his lover on the couch.

"No, we've never met." I repeated the same line to Sango.

"Hmm. Strange." She commented.

"Well, guys, this is Inuyasha, and he's probably going to be around for a long while, so I thought I'd bring him over and introduce him to you." Kagome said.

"Does that mean you're dating?" Miroku asked.

Both Kagome and I blushed. "No, not at _all_." I protested immediately, only to remember that was the exact opposite way to make Kagome love me. Gritting my teeth, I added, "I mean, uh . . . it's . . . too soon for that, anyway."

Kagome looked to me with wide eyes, and I could have sworn I saw a tiny spark of hope in her gaze. I looked away, my heart pounding a bit strangely, my blush increasing. Sango and MIroku were both smiling secretly to one another, as if they knew something that we didn't. They used to do it to me all the time in my own era, and it made me suspicious, because I knew they were plotting something by those looks.

"Well, have a seat. It's nice to meet you, Inuyasha." Sango commented, as I sat own in the only available chair. I glanced up at Kagome, and she looked around for a seat, and when she saw none, her expression fell.

"Come here." I said, and I nearly slapped myself in the face. The words had come out before I could stop them, and Kagome looked at me in surprise. "What I mean is . . . uh . . . we can share."

"Oh. All right. Ok." Kagome stammered, and moved over to me, and she squeezed into the small space beside me. The full length of her hip and her leg were pressed against me, along with her side. I could feel her breast pressing against me as well, and it was far more tempting than I would ever admit. I wondered, for a moment, if I would ever stop blushing around Kagome.

Miroku and Sango were exchanging those sly looks again, and I had to remind myself that they didn't know me, so I couldn't call them out on it. "So, Inuyasha, where are you from?" Sango asked conversationally.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Kagome was quick to cut me off. "He's from very far away. Moving was painful for him. He doesn't like to talk about it." I looked at her like she was crazy, but Miroku and Sango seemed to buy it, so I didn't comment. I just shot Kagome a glare, which she returned pointedly.

"If you don't mind me asking, is your hair color normal, or do you bleach it? It's completely white." Sango observed, and she reached forward, touching a lock of my hair.

"I was born with it." I replied simply.

"What about your eyes? They are a rather unusual color." Miroku added.

"I was born with those too."

"You are an interesting man, Inuyasha." Miroku smiled at me. "You're the first guy Kagome has allowed so close to her."

Kagome flushed at this, and I felt a rush of surprise. _I __am__? __But __why__? __Once __again__, __I__'__m __faced __with __why __me__? __Why __am __I __different__, __out __of __all __the __guys __that __Kagome __knows__?_

"Thanks a lot Miroku." Kagome muttered, sulking, embarrassment written all across her face.

"Just doing my job Kagome." Miroku replied cheerfullly.

"So how did the two of you meet?" Sango asked, looking curious for details.

"Well, it was actually a long time ago." Kagome spoke up. "And we haven't seen each other for years, so we met up, and . . . turns out Inuyasha is going to be in Tokyo for a long while. So, we decided we'd hang out for as long as he's here, since we're friends and all." Such an innocent explanation, and yet, Sango and Miroku looked as if they were cats who'd gotten the cream. No doubt they were arranging some sort of plot involving me and Kagome in their minds. I knew them far too well.

"The two of you should go to the festival together." Sango replied. "It would be highly romantic, and not to mention, it would be a great way to catch up. Have you heard about the festival, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah. Kagome and I are actually going." I replied, and Kagome suddenly tensed beside me.

"What?" I whispered to her. "What's your problem?"

"You said my name." She whispered back. "You didn't call me 'wench' or something."

I turned my nose up at her. "Tch. Don't get excited. It doesn't mean nothin'."

Kagome ignored that. "Yeah, Inuyasha and I are going to go together on a date."

I glared over at her. "I thought I told you-"

"That you had never been on a date before? Yes, you did. But you were all too happy to go on this one." Kagome interrupted, looking at me once again, pointedly. I could tell she didn't want me to turn her down in front of her friends. It would be pretty mean, and I knew if I did, she'd probably 'sit' me when we got home . . . to be 'sat' or not to be 'sat' . . .

I decided not being 'sat' was a better outcome for me. "You two bicker like a married couple." Miroku commented with some amusement. "Sango and I are going to go to the festival, so the four of us should go together."

"That would be fun." Kagome replied, and excitement brewed in her gaze and tone. I wondered what was going through her mind.

"I hope you have a good kimono picked out. Remember, the theme will be Feudal Japan." Sango informed Kagome.

"That's why I'm excited. Inuyasha has a great costume. Dog ears and everything." Kagome smirked up at me, and I just arched my eyebrow at her.

"They'd probably suit you." Sango commented. "Miroku is going to dress up as a traveling monk."

Kagome snorted. "Miroku, a monk?"

I scoffed. "That's what I used to say all the time." When the three of them gave me weird looks, I realized I hadn't thought before I'd spoken. "I mean, uh . . . about . . .costumes. The dog ears. They would suit me. Because . . . I hate cats."

Kagome looked like she was getting ready to facepalm, but Sango and Miroku only looked at me strangely for another moment before they seemed to brush it off. I let out a tiny sigh of relief. "What about you, Sango?" Kagome asked.

"I'm not really going as anything in particular. I thought about dressing up like a tajiya . . . but . . ." Sango tapped her chin thoughtfully.

_It__'__s __so __ironic__, __that __these __two __have __all __the __same __tendencies __as __their __past __selves__. __They __even __want __to __dress __up __as __the __same __things __that __they __actually __are __in __the __past__. __They__'__re __definitely __the__ir incarnations__. __There__'__s __no __other __explanation__._ I thought, as I looked at Miroku and Sango carefully, and, fondly. They were my friends, after all, and to me, the Sango and Miroku of this era were the same as the ones back in my own world. They were my Sango and Miroku as much as they were Kagome's.

"Well, are you guys hungry or thirsty? I've got plenty of stuff in the kitchen if you want something." Miroku offered.

"Actually, that does sound nice." Kagome commented.

"All right then. I'll be back in a minute." Miroku stood up and left the room.

"So, Inuyasha, will you be attending school with us?" Sango asked.

_ '__School__' __is __that __weird __place __that __Kagome __goes __to__. __Hmph__. __I __don__'__t __know __if __I __want __to __go __there__. __It __doesn__'__t __look __or __sound __fun__._ Luckily, Kagome answered for me while I was lost in my thoughts. "Oh no. Inuyasha won't be going. He's already graduated." 'Graduated'? I'd have to ask her about that later.

"Really?" Sango sounded surprised. "But you look so young, Inuyasha . . ."

"Yeah, well . . . I'm not." I replied, a little uneasy. Miroku and Sango were by no means stupid, and I was wondering how long Kagome and I were going to keep this charade up before they found something out. I had a feeling it wasn't going to last very long.

"Ahh, here we are." Miroku came back, and he had a small tray with cups of tea and some round, circular things that Kagome called 'cookies'. The 'cookies' were sweet, and they were actually pretty addictive, and Miroku and Sango seemed amused by my liking of them.

"Well, Kagome, I actually have some clothes that are a bit too small for me that I'll give to you, if you want them." Sango said, standing up and stretching after we finished snacking on the cookies.

"Really, that sounds great. Inuyasha, I'm going with Sango. You just stay in here with Miroku." Kagome instructed, as she stood up and followed Sango out.

It was silent for a moment, before Miroku turned to me, and his expression was completely serious. He leaned forward, toward me, and I felt my eyebrows pull down in a scowl. "What are you glarin' at?" I demanded.

"Inuyasha. I haven't known you for very long, but I like you so far, so I will say this. Kagome has never been hurt by a man before, and it is quite easy to see Kagome's feelings toward you and your feelings toward her. Do not break her heart, or I will be forced to inflict many painful, bodily injuries to your person." Miroku said each and every word in that calm, careful manner of his, and I was taken aback.

"Wha . . . what! You think I've got a thing for _Kagome_?" I demanded, embarrassed. I didn't have a thing for that annoying human brat! That was impossible!

"It's quite obvious in your mannerisms, and the way you're acting now." He replied, quite calmly. Even a Miroku hundreds of years in the future could see right through me.

"Keh." I looked away, embarrassed.

"So. I'm going to assume also that you haven't gotten to a physical level with Kagome yet." Miroku settled back in his chair, ignoring my wide-eyed stare. "I will warn you . . . Kagome has a tendency to not appreciate physical advances of a man if they are of a delinquent nature. You will have to be careful."

"Are you suggesting that I'm a pervert who's gonna try to pull somethin' on her?" I demanded, furious at his insinuation.

"Any man can be respectful and gentle, but he is still a man." Miroku retorted. "Not to mention, when Kagome sat with you you certainly noticed her close proximity. You are very aware of her, as she is very aware of you. The sexual tension could be cut with a knife."

I was baffled, and speechless, so Miroku continued. "I am also going to make an assumption that since you are so embarrassed by all of this talk, you are inexperienced and innocent?"

"Eh? Well I- Keh! Hah, of course not! Tch, I mean . . ." I was sputtering like an idiot, and I was trying to sound confident, but it wasn't really working on my part, because my embarrassment was overcoming my ability to sound truly convincing.

"Ah, so I am correct." Miroku calmly sipped his tea. "I see. In that case, I shall lend you my assistance, if need be."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I glared at the arm of the chair, because my face was too red to face him. "I don't need assistance with _Kagome__._ If I want to make a move on her I'll make one!"

"Something tells me you wouldn't be able to look past your pride."

"Why you . . ." I turned my furious glare on him.

"Calm yourself, Inuyasha. This is simply a man to man conversation. None of this will reach Kagome's ears."

"Oh? And what about everyone else's?"

"You have my word this conversation is between you and me." Miroku promised, and I knew from past experience he would keep his word, so I relaxed a little. "Oh, and Kagome's favorite flowers are lilies."

"What would I wanna know that for!"

"Inuyasha, it's only customary that you get her flowers for the festival. If you get a woman flowers before any type of festival, she will surely want to wear the flower in her hair." Miroku explained. "So make sure to get her lilies."

"I have no idea where I'd get those." I admitted, annoyed.

Miroku gave me a weird look. "From a florist. I can show you the nearest one in town. Luckily, they aren't expensive, either."

_I __don__'__t __have __any __money__, __though__. __Ugh__ . . . __how __could __I __forget__? __Even __in __my __era __women __are __expensive__._ I thought irritably. _And __it__'__s __funny__, __considering __Kikyo__'__s __favorite __flowers __were __lilies __too__ . . . __white __lilies__ . . ._

"Eek! Sango! Get it off me right now! Just get it off get it off get it off!"

Miroku and I exchanged glances at Kagome's shrieking, and I jumped up from my chair and ran to the back with Miroku on my heels, worried because Kagome sounded like she was in distress. When I flung open the door, however, what I saw stopped me in my tracks.

Kagome stood there, and she was practically naked. She wore some blue, lacy thing on her breasts, and some more of the blue, lacy stuff on her hips to cover her more intimate area. I felt my face slowly flush, and I felt a stirring of desire in my body.

"Hentai!" Kagome screamed at me, her face bright red. "SIT!"  
"NGH!" My face hurtled to the floor, and Miroku stepped over my corpse, looking to Sango, who put her hands on her hips with a sigh.

"Come on, Kagome. It's just lingerie. There's lingerie a lot worse than this out there." Sango replied, as Miroku came to stand behind her. When he saw Kagome from behind, his eyebrows lifted, and he whistled lowly.

"Well, Kagome, a thong? I never thought you would be bold enough to wear such garments." He commented.

Sango gave him a glare that would have had my half brother Sesshomaru cowering in fear. "You're such a perv, Miroku. Turn around."

He did so with a sigh. "So Kagome, I'm interested to know how your grandfather managed to enchant those beads around Inuyasha's neck. I noticed they were beads of subjugation right away, but . . . I wasn't aware they'd work in this day and age."

I groaned pitifully as I picked my face from the floor, and sat up, glaring at the wall so Kagome wouldn't 'sit' me again. "Fuck these beads." I grumbled, grasping them and looking murderously down at them.

"My grandfather does come in handy. Originally the beads were a prank, but . . . turns out we don't know how to remove them. So for moments like these, Inuyasha can get what he deserves." Kagome shot a glare my way which I didn't notice, as I was refusing to look at her.

"I was wondering." Sango murmured. "I almost feel sorry for the guy . . ."

"You have no idea." I grouched, resting my chin in the palm of my hand.

_The __new __moon __is __coming__, __and __since __Kagome __said __that __the __festival __is __the __night __after __tomorrow__ . . . __Then__ . . . __it __will __be __the __night __after __the __festival__. __I __guess __it__'__s __good __that __there __are __no __demons __in __this __era__. __But __I __need __to __find __a __way __to __avoid __Kagome __on __that __night__. __And __definitely __Sango __and __Miroku__. __Kagome __said __they __aren__'__t __supposed __to __find __out __that __I__'__m __half __demon__. __She __said __no __one __but __she __and __her __family __are __allowed __to __know__, __because __it __would __be__ '__disastrous__' __or __something__._ I glanced back up at the moon and frowned. I hated the nights of the new moon. I was at my most vulnerable, being human, and all the strong emotions that humans felt . . . I had to deal with those too. I was vulnerable more than just physically on those nights.

"You've been staring outside for a while now."

I glanced over, seeing Kagome was laying on her stomach, and looking at me curiously. In that position, she looked so childish and innocent, and it was a big reminder of just exactly what I was supposed to be doing. Ashamed of myself, I looked away.

"Why don't you be quiet, wench? I'm tryin' to think." I flicked my eyes worriedly back up at the moon.

"Calling me wench again, huh?" Kagome didn't sound pleased. "Say, Inuyasha?"

"What do you want?"

"Earlier, when you ran in while I was wearing the lingerie . . . well, why did you come busting in like that?" Kagome asked.

"Hmph! Well, it wasn't because I was worried about you or anything!" I said immediately.

Kagome blinked, and then she smiled. "Of course not. Silly me."

"You're gettin' on my nerves. So just go back to sleep." I risked a glance at her, and the way she was smiling at me made my heart do that funny take on me again, the one that Kikyo hadn't made me feel.

"All right. Goodnight, Inuyasha." Kagome said softly, turning onto her back.

"Yeah." I glanced back up at the moon. _Kagome__, __what __are __you __doing __to __me__?_

**So Miroku and Sango have entered the story. I will say this: They won't have a huge role. Sorry if no one likes that. This story is going to focus more in Inuyasha and Kagome than anything else, like my other ones. Though, Miroku and Sango had bigger roles in the previous stories . . . oh well. **


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm glad everyone had such a good response to the last chapter. The first line Inuyasha says is actually a reference to Inuyasha: The Abridged Series, which is a parody on Youtube made by Canadian Jutsu and his girlfriend. It is AMAZING. You have to go watch it. :D**

**But anyway. Remember, if you're reading this story, it's only right that you leave reviews on what you think, even if they're only one or two words. I love feedback, and I answer each and every review I get. :)**

Chapter four

"Get _back_ here, you _tin can on wheels_!" I snarled, running after one of those 'cars' with my claws outstretched, fangs bared.

"You've really got to learn to control your canine urges." Kagome calmly grabbed my collar from behind, stopping me in my tracks and snapping me from the urge to chase the car.

I blushed. "It's not like I can help it! You try being half dog demon for a day and see if you can resist the urges!"

"Relax. It's sort of cute, in a way." Kagome admitted, only serving to deepen my blush. She was taking me to the 'supermarket' today, and she was going to show me how to buy things, in case she ever needed me to pick something up on my own.

"You only say that because you convinced me to come with you." I accused suspiciously as we walked. I was wary of the compliments she gave me. I knew that she meant them with her heart, because I was good at seeing through lies when it came to Kagome, but I was still having a hard time accepting she could have any sort of attraction to me. It was like trying to convince an atheist that Jesus was real.

"Yeah yeah." Kagome grabbed onto my hand (I was going to ask her why she kept doing that so often) and tugged me into a nearby building. I jumped when the doors slid open by themselves, but before I had time to question it, Kagome had tugged me inside.

"Ok, first things first. We need food that's easy and simple to make for the times mom isn't home. Ramen noodles sound good." Kagome pulled me toward the back of the 'supermarket', where there were thousands of small, round containers that were sealed on top. All of them had different flavors written across them, from chicken, to beef, to shrimp, etc.

"Pick out one you would like." Kagome said, turning to me.

"Well how would I know? I've never even heard of 'Ramen noodles'."  
"Then I'll get the chicken ones for you. You'll probably like them. Here." Kagome grabbed a few of the containers and handed them to me.

"Oh, and get these!" She stacked some more, and now I was holding so many I had to move my head to see past them.

"Kagome!" I protested, as she darted into an aisle and grabbed a few boxes of things, and tossed those into my arms as well.

"You're the man, so you get to carry everything!" Kagome laughed at my position, and I growled at her.

"Do you think we went a little overboard?" Kagome asked as we were leaving the store.

I looked past the two huge boxes I was carrying. "I think that's an understatement!" I snarled.

"Hey, look." Kagome suddenly stopped, and I ran into her with the boxes.

"Whaddya do that for, Kagome?" I demanded, but followed her pointing finger nonetheless. I saw Sota standing in front of another 'store', one that held thousands of different flowers.

_That must be the 'florist' Miroku was talking about. I'll have to remember where it is._ I mentally noted. Sota was looking at the white lilies, and I wondered if he was going to get flowers for Kagome or something.

"I wonder what he's up to." Kagome murmured.

"Who knows? Maybe he's gonna buy some flowers."

"Well duh! That's what a florist is for! But what I mean is, I want to know _who_ they're for! Maybe Sota likes a girl!" Kagome's eyes widened, and then a bright smile came over her face. "If he does, it's about time! I'll instruct him in the ways of love and he'll never go wrong!"

I gave Kagome a flat look. "Something tells me that there would be a flaw in your plans."

Kagome shot me a dark look. "Hey, nobody asked you, dogboy. If Sota needs help with romance, he'll come to me."

"Heh. Wanna bet?"

"Yeah, how much you want to bet?" Kagome demanded.

"Um . . . some of that money you used to buy all this stuff!" I replied. _If I win this bet, that'll mean I'll have some money to buy Kagome those flowers._ I thought, grinning to myself. Who said I didn't have brains?

"Fine, you're on! If he comes to me to get romance advice, then you will be my personal slave for a week, since you have no money to pay me." Kagome challenged.

"I was under the impression that I was already a slave."

Kagome ignored that. "Well, looks like Sota's heading home. So, the bet starts now. Got it?"

"Keh. Bring it on, wench."

When we returned to the house, and the boxes of purchased food were put away, Kagome and I watched Sota with hawk eyes, wherever he went. He seemed to notice us after a while, and gave us both weird looks.

"What are you guys looking at me like that for?" He asked, as Buyo jumped up into his lap. I glared at the cat, and he just meowed at me.

"No reason. Listen, Sota, if you _ever_ need to talk about anything, anything at _all_, like a girl, for example, I'm here." Kagome offered cheerfully. I elbowed her, and she glared at me, hissing, "What?"

"That's cheating!" I hissed back.

"You never said I couldn't hint at it!"

"You little wench!"

Kagome ignored me and walked over to Sota, patting him on the head in a sisterly manner. "So if you ever need help, just come to me. All right?"

"Uh, ok, but . . . where's all this coming from?" Sota asked.

"Make sure you come to _me_." Kagome stressed, giving him a threatening look. Sota looked at her fearfully, and then Kagome smiled down at him angelically, and practically pranced out of the kitchen.

"She's off her rocker!" I said under my breath.

"Say, Inuyasha?" Sota glanced at me, as Buyo jumped off his lap and began slinking in my direction.

I stared the cat down. "What is it, kid?"

There was a knock on the door, and Kagome called, "I'll get it!" So Sota continued. "Inuyasha, I was looking at flowers today, and I was thinking . . ."

_Hah! Looks like I'm gonna win this bet already! I knew he would come to me!_ I thought triumphantly, and I grinned, until Buyo reached out and lightly pawed at my hand. I shot a suspicious look down at the cat, and he began to purr as he climbed into my lap. "You can get away with it this time . . ." I grumbled, as he rubbed against my stomach.

"Well, I was thinking that since Kagome's favorite flowers are white lilies, you should get her some." Sota finished.

"Huh? So you weren't . . . lookin' at them because you wanted to get them for a girl?" I questioned, surprised and disappointed.

Sota looked surprised. "Of course not! I've already got a girlfriend, so I don't need to buy her flowers until Valentine's day, and that's far away! But anyway . . . I was thinking you could buy Kagome flowers for the festival, since you two are going together."

"How did you know about that, ya little runt!"

"Because Kagome hasn't shut up about it. She's real excited." Sota smiled, and I blushed. _Kagome's really that excited to go with me? But why? Oh man . . . _

"Yeah yeah . . . Look, I already had planned on gettin' her flowers or whatever for the festival." I grabbed Buyo's front paws and began to play with him as I talked. He yowled quietly but didn't seem mad. "The only problem is I gotta get some money."  
"I actually thought of that. And I talked to grandpa. He said that he would give you the money to buy flowers if you helped him out around the shrine tomorrow." Sota replied.

"Hmph, did he? Well good. 'Cause I don't accept charity." I replied, pride evident in my voice. I didn't like charity, not one bit. At least I could work for the money. "But I'm no cheap labor either."

Sota shook his head. "I didn't think so."

"Well, I guess I'd better go find Kagome." I released Buyo and stood up, and he continued to purr as he wove around my ankles. "Yeah, keep suckin' up. It ain't gonna get you anywhere. Better go tell Kagome the bet's off." I added in a grumble, as i moved up the steps to her room, pulling the cap off my head, so my ears were free.

I reached to open Kagome's door, but at the sound of voices within, I stopped and listened for a second. Yes, I was eavesdropping, but oh well. It wasn't like Kagome would know.

". . . fess up, Kagome! You've got a guy on your mind! It's written all over your face!" I heard a girl saying.

"Oh, I do not! And if I did, it's not like it would matter anyway. He's clueless when it comes to that stuff." Kagome answered, and I felt a spark of indignation. What did she mean by that?

"So you admit there's a guy? I can't believe it! What about Hojo?" Another girl piped up.

"What about him?" Kagome sounded genuinely confused.

"Well, if you're with this guy, then wouldn't you be two-timing Hojo?" A third girl asked.

"Ok, first of all, I'm not _with_ anyone!" Kagome sound exasperated. "I'm not dating either guy, so I'm not two-timing anyone! And even if I was with this guy, I wouldn't be two-timing Hojo because I'm not his property!"

"You go Kagome!" The third girl cheered.

"Thanks Ayumi." Kagome answered, and I could tell by her tone she was smiling. "Besides, did you guys come to my house just to interrogate me?"

"We just came to hang out, so we can't help it if you've been hiding something this juicy from us!" The first girl retorted. "I can't believe you've got a thing for some guy and you didn't even tell us! So what's he like?"

"Hmph! I hardly have a thing for him." Kagome mumbled, and I guessed she was blushing. "He's rude, crude, and he barely even calls me by name. But, he does have his moments where he's almost nice to me . . ." I felt my heart do a funny take at that, and I felt that damned blush light my face. Thank Kami Kagome couldn't see me.

"Sounds to me like he's got a 'bad boy' persona going for him." The second girl piped up. "That might be exciting for a while, but trust me, it's not good in the long run!"  
"You might want to be careful! Good girls like you end up getting pregnant when they chase after the bad boys!" the first one added.

"Eek! Inuyasha? And me? And . . . _pregnant_! Don't scare me like that!" Kagome sounded embarrassed, and I felt the same spark of embarrassment. Not in a thousand years would I be getting _Kagome_ pregnant. I hadn't even really thought much about having kids yet, anyway. And besides, I didn't even have any plans on performing the act to have kids with her, either, despite what Miroku seemed to think.

"You're blushing, Kagome! Sounds to me like you wouldn't _mind_ being with this guy _that_ way." Ayumi teased.

"Oh come on. If you saw him you would feel the same way." Kagome admitted, and I blushed deeper. _She's . . . attracted to me? I mean, I already sort of suspected it, but . . . to hear it said out loud is another thing . . ._

"So he's hot?" The first girl asked hopefully.

"He is pretty hot." Kagome confessed, and my heart began to pound. "But trust me, he's hot in an odd way. You wouldn't believe the way he looks."

"Sounds juicy to me! You've got to introduce us!" The second girl squealed.

"I thought you guys were just telling me that the 'bad boy persona' would land me in trouble?" Kagome asked tiredly.

"Well that is true, but we do need to assess his physical looks. We need to see if he's as cute as you say." The first girl replied matter-of-factly.

"Well, uh . . . he's not here right now." Kagome blatantly lied. I felt a rush of confusion, and then annoyance. _Why is she hiding me from them? Is it because she's embarrassed of me? Well I'll show her!_ I slapped the cap onto my head and opened her room door, announcing my presence.

"Kagome, the bet's off. Sota came to me and it wasn't anything even about-" I started, but the three strange girls sitting in Kagome's room all were staring at me, and it was a bit unnerving. "Who are you girls?"

"I thought you said he wasn't home!" The girl with a yellow headband and shoulder-length black hair accused, looking to Kagome.

"Well, I _thought_ he wasn't." Kagome gave me a look that clearly said I would be getting 'sat' later, more than likely.

"Well, we might as well introduce ourselves since he is here. I'm Yuka." The girl with the shortest brown hair announced. "This is Ayumi," She pointed to the girl who had wavy, shoulder length hair, and Ayumi smiled and waved at me. "And this is Eri." She pointed to the girl with a headband.

"So, you're Inuyasha? Is that your gang name?" Ayumi asked curiously.

"Huh? 'Gang' ?" I looked to Kagome, and she groaned.

"No, that's his real name." Kagome explained. "It's just a bit . . . strange. But it fits him, trust me."

"So do you bleach your hair or something?" Yuka asked, standing up and moving over to me, to get a closer look. The other two girls followed suit.

"And what about your eyes? They're so pretty." Eri added.

"And your skin . . . I've never seen skin like this." Ayumi replied.

"I was born with all of it." I replied, feeling a little overwhelmed by the girls swarming me.

"Wow, he _is_ supercute, Kagome!" Yuka declared, glancing at Kagome over her shoulder. I blushed a little, surprised.

"Try gorgeous!" Eri corrected. "Your hair looks so soft! Can I touch it?"

"I . . . guess." Eri reached forward and touched my hair, and let out a girly squeal. "It's so soft!"

"Ooh, me next!" Ayumi reached forward and also tugged a lock of my hair. Kagome looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"So are you biracial or something?" Eri questioned. "You can't be Japanese, with your hair and your eyes."

"Well, technically speaking, he is." Kagome replied, standing up. Then I heard her mutter very quietly, "He is half demon after all . . ." She said it so low that the girls couldn't hear her, but my sensitive ears picked it up clearly.

"So if you're Kagome's boyfriend, are you going to give that Hojo a piece of your mind? He's been talking to Kagome a lot! He even asked her to the festival!" Ayumi informed me.

"Hojo?" My brow furrowed, but I was even more surprised that being called Kagome's boyfriend didn't really bother me too much. "Who the hell is that?" The girls looked at each other with wide eyes at the curse that fell from my mouth, and Kagome looked at me with wide eyes, shaking her head furiously, obviously telling me that cursing was off limits around these girls. I shut my big mouth, embarrassed.

"Wow, he really _is_ a bad boy!" Yuka threw over her shoulder. But then she grinned. "I'm jealous Kagome!" She winked.

"I think he's sweet!" Eri said, smiling at me.

"He's dreamy!" Ayumi agreed, clapping her hands together.

"Are you gonna take Kagome to the festival tomorrow?" Yuka asked, and she gave me a pointed look that said I'd _better_ be taking Kagome to the fesitval.

"Well, I uh . . . I planned on it."

"Good! All three of us will be going, so we'll see you there!" Ayumi replied with a smile.

"But you'd better watch out, Mr. Bad Boy." Eri warned me. "Hojo will be at the festival, and he's sure to put some moves on Kagome."

"Keh. Let him. It won't get him anywhere." I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

The three girls gasped. "You mean you're not worried?" Ayumi demanded.

"Why should I be?"

"Because your Kagome's boyfriend!" Eri protested.

"If she's loyal, I've got nothin' to worry about." I replied simply. "And I'll put this Hojo in his place if he tries anything."

"Oh, I'm excited!" Yuka exclaimed. "This is gonna be good! I can't wait 'til tomorrow!"

"All right, well, now that you guys have met Inuyasha, you should probably get going." Kagome finally announced loudly, and she looked extremely embarrassed as she pushed her three friends toward the door.

"Oh, right, silly us. You probably want some alone time with Mr. Bad Boy." Eri replied, and she and Ayumi giggled while Yuka made kissing faces. I blushed, along with Kagome.

"All right, that's enough, ya perverts!" I began to help Kagome push them out.

The three girls were laughing as they were pushed from the room. "All right, we're going!" Yuka relented. "Make sure to give him a good kiss for me, Kagome!" she teased, and the three girls headed down the steps, still laughing. Once the front door shut after them, Kagome groaned and put her face in her hands. "That was _so_ embarrassing." she mumbled.

"Speaking of embarrassing . . . why did you give me that weird look when I came in? Are you embarrassed of me or somethin'?" I demanded, because this question was eating away at me.

"Of course not." Kagome said, surprised as she lifted her head. "I just knew they would swarm you like that and ask you embarrassing questions. I wasn't worried about it because of how you look."

"Oh, well . . . I thought that uh . . . Nevermind." I looked away, embarrassed I'd just presumed. I probably should have given Kagome a little more credit. I felt a bit like a jerk, honestly.

"Man, those guys can be fun, but they can also be overbearing. I wonder how Hojo will react when he hears about the 'bad boy'." Kagome giggled a little, and then sighed as she sat down on her bed.

I sat down beside her indian style, crossing my arms over my chest as I usually did. "Hmph. Who is this Hojo anyway?"

"Oh, no one important." Kagome surprised me by scooting over toward me, and I blushed when she leaned against me with a content sigh.

"Ka . . .Kagome, what are you doing?" I asked, my heart pounding a little.

"Well those three are convinced you're my boyfriend, and they're under the impression that we'll be doing a lot worse than this now that they're gone. So just relax." Kagome said calmly, her eyes closed as she leaned her head back on my shoulder.

Her body was warm and soft, and I couldn't deny that I was physically attracted to her, and when she was leaning on me like this, I . . . liked it. "Besides," Kagome added, snapping me from my thoughts, "I'm curious to see myself what Hojo will do when he finds out about you."

"It's not like I'm actually your boyfriend or anything." I replied, still blushing a little, but not pushing her away. I was supposed to make her fall in love, after all.

"Yeah, but it will look like you are tomorrow, if we play the cards right. It'll be better if my friends are convinced that you are. It will save us a lot of questions and explanations. And there's something else I noticed, too . . . how do you even know what the word 'boyfriend' means? I know they don't have that term in Feudal Japan." Kagome accused, looking up at me suspiciously.

"Keh. Unlike you, I've got some brains. It's not like it's hard to figure out. Judging by how you were talking about me, and how they were, I just concluded a 'boyfriend' must mean the same thing as 'lover'." I replied.

Kagome snorted. "You? Having brains? Don't make me laugh." She sighed, and leaned further against me, which distracted me from her insult. "Inuyasha?" She said, more softly.

"What is it?" I forced my voice to stay calm, despite the fact my heart rate was faster.

"I do like being close to you." She admitted, and I saw a pretty pink blush light her face, which served to make me blush all over again.

I had nothing to really say to that. "Kagome . . ." I said softly, wishing I knew what to say in this type of situation. _I guess it would be a lie to say I don't like being close to you . . . And when you talk to me like that . . ._

"Do you like being close to me?" She asked, and her voice was very shy. My heart skipped a beat.

"I . . . Well . . . it's not like I hate it . . ." I finally admitted, and my voice was a little shaky, to my embarrassment, showing just how clearly she affected me.

"You could just admit that you like it." Kagome replied, and her voice sounded heavier, and I could tell she was falling asleep, leaning on me like this.

"Keh. I didn't say that I liked it!" I forced myself to say, just to cover up my embarrassment.

"Hmph! I would use those beads on you if I wanted to ruin the moment. But I don't. So I'll save it for later . . ." Kagome's voice trailed off, and a few moments later, her breathing was deeper, and she had fallen asleep.

My gaze softened as I looked down at her. _It's only been a few days, and Kagome has affected me in a way that Kikyo never did . . . I'm supposed to make Kagome fall in love with me, but I'm starting to wonder if it's going to be the other way around . . . I've got to be careful._ I gently gripped her shoulders, and laid her down on the bed, pulling the covers up around her. I hesitantly reached down, and touched her cheek, feeling the soft, warm skin, and she stirred slightly in her sleep and leaned into my hand, though she didn't wake up. My heart did that funny flutter again, and I sighed quietly as I reluctantly withdrew my hand and went to sit on her window sill. It was growing dark outside, and it would be night soon. _Just two more nights before the night of the new moon . . ._ I thought grimly.

"All right, part timer! We've got lots of work to do!" Kagome's grandfather announced, slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand determinedly.

"All right." I rolled back my sleeves and carefully tied the purple cloth he gave me at the back of my neck, to cover my ears from view, in case customers came to the shrine to purchase something.

"See that jar over there?" He pointed to a shelf near the ceiling, and on top of it was a large brown jar with swirling designs painted in a lighter brown color all over it. "Pick up that jar and bring it to the other shelf. And don't you dare break it either. That jar has years of history in our family.

"Got ya." I moved over to the jar and reached to pick it up, thinking, _I hope Kagome doesn't find that iron cart of hers . . . I just tried to ride it once, because Sota tried to teach me, and I accidentally bent those 'handle bars' . . . she'll kill me if she sees it. Sota said he would hide it until I could come fix it._

"INUYASHA!"

"Eep!" I felt a shiver of fear go throughout me.

"Was that Kagome?" Grandpa turned to look at me over his shoulder.

"I-I didn't hear anything." I stammered.

"Then bring that jar over here, my boy." he instructed.

"Sure thing." I grabbed the jar, and was about to bring it over to him, when I heard the dreaded word.

"Inuyasha SIT!"

The jar crashed to the ground, along with my face, and it shattered. I lay there in pain, and I heard Grandpa's cries of distress. "No! The ancient family heirloom!" He wailed.

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" I bellowed back.

"He's in the shed!" I heard Kagome growl, and I "eeped" again, and bolted to my feet, racing from the shed and toward the house in a last desperate attempt at escape.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Kagome shouted. "SIT!"

My face hit the ground, stopping me in my tracks, and Kagome raced over to me, and planted a foot on my back, and began to stomp me into the ground. I let out a wail of pain each time her foot made impact. "I can't believe you ruined my bike! Do you have any idea what it's going to cost to fix it!" She stomped with every word.

"Foot . . . in my spleen . . ." I whimpered.

"Ooh!" Kagome growled in frustration, and finally removed her foot. "You're gonna pay for this, Inuyasha!"

_And to think I'm working to buy her flowers . . ._ I thought weakly. _The things I go through for this woman . . ._ "It was an accident." I protested, spitting a rock out of my mouth from my impact into the ground.

"Hmph! Well you'd better fix it! That's my only bike!" Kagome clenched her fists and stomped toward the house, anger in every step.

"Man, does she have a temper." I muttered.

"Oh my. That Kagome definitely doesn't get that temper from me." Mrs. Higurashi appeared by my side a moment later, and helped me to sit up. She laughed softly. "She must get it from her father. Don't worry so much about the bike. I'm sure you can fix it."

"Keh. Of course I can. I've slain thousands of demons in my time. What's fixing a 'bicycle' ?" I replied arrogantly, brushing dirt from my arms and legs.

Mrs. Higurashi just smiled. "You and Kagome are so alike but so different, young man. Well, you'd better get started on that bike if you want to be in Kagome's good favor by this afternoon."

"Huh? But I was working with jiji in the shrine to earn a little money . . ." I trailed off.

"Is that so? Well, I can pay you for fixing the bike, if that's what you want." Mrs. Higurashi replied, sounding surprised.

"No, you can't do that!" I protested. Accepting payment from Kagome's grandfather was one thing, but accepting it from her mother was another.

"Well, certainly you have a reason for wanting this money. So what were you wanting to buy with it?"

"I was just going to get flowers for Kagome. White lilies." I admitted, a little embarrassed.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "Oh? Well, I think I can take care of that. While you work and fix up that bike, I'll go pick up the flowers for you, and I'll have them ready."

My ears perked up even underneath the bandana covering them. "Oh, well, uh . . . thanks." I stood up, and started moving in the direction of Kagome's bike, to fix it. Then I hesitated, and turned back to Mrs. Higurashi, who was standing up, brushing dirt from her apron. "I'm . . . sorry."

She looked at me, surprised. "For what?"

"For . . . breaking the bike. I mean." I replied, looking away.

"Oh, well, don't worry about that. As long as you fix it." She smiled at me, before she turned and headed back toward the house. I watched her curiously for another moment, and then I headed for the bike.

_She's a lot like my mom. Is it bad that I feel like I actually belong here, with Kagome's family? They accept me in a way that I haven't ever been accepted in. Except for Sango and Miroku. But they're married, so it's hardly as if I can intrude. Hmph._ I pushed my sleeves back and crouched on top of Kagome's bike, and gripped the handle bars, beginning to bend them with my superhuman strength.

"Hmph . . . stupid . . . metal . . . cart . . ." I grumbled, my arms shaking a bit as I bent the metal this way and that, trying to get it back to its original shape.

"How's it going?" I glanced up, seeing Sota approaching me cautiously.

I gave him a dark stare, and he flinched back, looking guilty. "You were supposed to hide the bike, ya little runt."

"Yeah, I know, but Kagome found me when I was trying to hide it . . ." he mumbled. "Sorry."

"Keh." I turned away and continued twisting the metal. Once I finished, I let go, and eyed my handy work. "Does that look about right?"

"It looks the way it's supposed to to me." Sota replied. "Nice job Inuyasha."

"All in a day's work, kid. As if this iron cart would get the best of me." I bragged, grinning to myself.

Sota grinned at me. I glanced at him, and for a moment, we exchanged those cheesy grins, and I felt a strange rush of affection for the kid. My eyes traveled down from his face, and that was when I noticed a strange purple bruise on his neck. I frowned.

"Hey, where'd ya get that from?" I asked, climbing off the bike and crouching down in front of him, to get a better look at the bruise.

Sota flushed and clapped a hand over his neck. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said hastily.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't play games with me, kid. Where did you get it from?"

"My my, look at the time!" Sota glanced down at his watch. "It's noon already! I just remembered, I have some homework to do before we go back to school tomorrow!"

"Oh no you don't!" I grabbed him by his collar as he tried to run, and yanked his shirt down enough so I could see the purple bruise more clearly. "Kid, who did this to you?"

"Um, I fell."

"On your neck?" I asked dubiously. "These look like fingerprints. Either you tell me who did this to you or I'm just gonna sniff 'em out from the scent of your neck and give 'em a piece of my mind."

Sota sighed. "All right all right! It was . . . a kid who goes to my school."

"A kid? What kid?"

"A kid named Renkotsu." Sota mumbled.

"So he's bullyin' you?" I demanded, feeling a rush of anger. Mainly because, I knew how it felt to be bullied. I had been bullied my entire life, and I couldn't stand to see someone else getting the same treatment. It pissed me off to no end.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. I just deal with it." Sota brushed my hands off.

"It does too matter. You don't need to 'just deal with it'. You need to give this kid a piece of your mind. You need to stand up to him!" I said firmly.

"What?" Sota looked up at me in surprise.

"Well? Are you a man or aren't you? You can't let this kid push you around! And you need to show him that he ain't gonna push you around anymore!" I went on. I clenched my fist, and held it up for him to see. "Do you see this, Sota? This shows that I'm not afraid of anybody, and they can't push me around. Now you do it."

Hesitantly, Sota clenched his fist and raised it for me to see. "Doesn't that make you feel more confident?" I asked, and after a moment, he shyly nodded. "Just doin' it makes you feel better, because it makes you feel stronger. You need to show this kid that you're stronger than him. So next time he does somethin' to you, you stand up to him. You got that?"  
Sota nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Inuyasha . . . will you teach me to defend myself?"

I was surprised. And I also felt honored, that he wanted me to teach him. "Uh, sure kid. All right, if he comes at you like this, this is what you need to do . . . "

"Inuyasha?"

I glanced up from where I was playing with Buyo, seeing Kagome looking at me with a confused expression. "What is it?"

"Why is Sota beating up a sack full of flour?"

"Because he needs to learn to defend himself." I declared. "There's a punk who's been bullyin' him, and he said that he wanted me to teach him how to defend himself. So that's what I'm gonna do."

Kagome looked at me for a moment, and then her expression softened, and she smiled at me. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

I blushed a little. "Yeah. Well . . ." I cleared my throat, and looked down at Buyo, who simply 'meowed' up at me. "It's not 'cause I like the kid or nothin' . . ."

"Well, let's go see what he's learned." Kagome replied, and I stood up and followed her out of the house, where Sota was busy punching the sack of flour I'd found for him.

"Lookin' good, Sota." I called, and he grinned over at me. "I think you'll have it made for ya if you keep up that confidence."

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest. "Sota, if you were being bullied, why didn't you just come to me?"

Sota looked a bit embarrassed. " 'Cause you're a girl, and girls don't fight. And . . . Inuyasha fights. So . . . I figured he would be able to help me out."

Kagome sighed heavily. "You know, I'm useful for stuff too! I can fight!"

I couldn't resist snorting. Kagome shot me a look, and she demanded, "You think I can't fight?"  
"I don't think, I _know_."  
"How dare you! When we first met I handled myself pretty well, I think!" Kagome snapped at me, and I could tell she was really getting fired up about this.

"That was why I almost killed you." I retorted, and Kagome's eye twitched.

"I'll show you, you pompous ass!" Kagome practically leapt on me, and came at me with her fists. One of her fists smacked into my head, and I cried, "OW!" before her other fist hit me in the arm.

"Hey, cut it out! Have you gone crazy?" I demanded, grabbing her wrists as she continued to tried to pummel me.

"Shouldn't have messed with her." Sota sighed as he watched.

"OW! HEY!" I bellowed, as she kicked me in the shin. "Would you give it a rest!"

"Not until I've put you in your place, you creep!" Kagome managed to free one of her fists and swung it at my face, and I ducked with wide eyes, my white hair flying.

"Geez, I get it alread-AH!" Kagome grabbed my hand and turned her back to me, and in a swift motion, she had flipped me onto my back.

I sat there for a moment, shocked, before my annoyance sparked. "That's it!" I grabbed her ankle and yanked, and she only looked smug for a moment before she cried out as she landed on top of me.

We rolled around on the ground, fists flying, snarling and growling at each other. Sota just watched with wide eyes, the sack of flour completely forgotten. "They're like bickering old ladies." He mumbled.

Mrs. Higurashi came outside to check on the bike, but her attention on the bike was quickly lost when she saw her daughter rolling in a heap across the ground with me. She raised her eyebrows. "I take it I missed something?" she asked Sota.

"Inuyasha hurt her pride." Sota said simply.

"I see. Well, those two probably need to start getting ready for the festival. Inuyasha, Kagome!" Mrs. Higurashi called.

I shoved Kagome off me, and she hit the ground, growling at me. I stood up, panting, and brushed the dirt from my form. I glanced down at Kagome, who was sulking on the ground. "Keh!" I crossed my arms and walked over to her mother.

"I've got those flowers." Mrs. Higurashi whispered to me, winking.

"All right. Well, I fixed the bike."

"I see that. Also, your kimono is completely clean now, so you two can eat, bathe, and start getting ready for the festival. I'm sure it's going to be a fun night." Mrs. Higurashi smiled before she turned and guided Sota inside the house.

I glanced back at Kagome, who was still sulking on the ground. I walked over to her, and held my hand out to her. She looked up at my offered hand, and then turned away snootily. "Hmph! I don't need your help!"

"Did I really hurt your pride that much? Tch. Pathetic." I reached down and grabbed her hand nonetheless, ignoring her protests, and yanked her to her feet. Kagome gasped as she stumbled, and she landed against me. I gave a sound of surprise, and she slowly looked up at me, a blush on her face.

"Inuyasha . . ." She said softly, and her saying my name like that made my heart beat a little bit faster, and I was reminded of one of the times I was on the dock with Kikyo, and she had tripped and landed against me, much like this. I had embraced her, and worked up the nerve to kiss her.

And it was because of that memory . . . that I hesitantly stepped back from Kagome before anything could happen. "You should go inside." I said quietly.

Kagome flushed a little at my rejection, and her expression was hurt as she walked past me and entered the house. I sighed quietly under my breath before I followed after her.

After I had eaten and bathed and my hair was dry, I picked up my white undershirt and pulled it on, before I tugged my red kosode on afterwards. I slipped on my red hakama and tucked my kosode into them, before tying my obi. I sighed. It felt somewhat comforting to have my kimono back on from my own time. It was even better to know I didn't have to hide my ears or anything else tonight. I could even walk around barefoot.

"Wow, you really look like you belong in Feudal Japan with that getup." Sota commented, as I walked into the livingroom. Buyo meowed in approval.

"Keh. That's because I _do_ belong there." I retorted. I sat down beside him, and Sota handed me a small bouquet of white lilies that were laying on the floor beside him. "Here. Mom said to give these to you."

"All right." I took the sweet smelling flowers. "Where's Kagome?"

"Probably still getting ready. It takes women forever to get ready for these kinds of things." Sota sighed.

"That's because it's women." I scoffed, as Buyo crawled over to me and began to paw at the long sleeves of my kosode.

"What's that about women?"

Sota and I looked to the doorway, and my jaw practically hit the floor.

Kagome stood there, wearing a light pink kimono with blue flowers all over it, and a fan in her hand. Her hair was pulled up, and a few black curls here and there were loose to frame her face. Her lips were painted a light red, and she had pink eyeshadow and her eyelashes were long and thick. There was a light flush over her cheeks, and she was looking at me shyly, obviously waiting for my opinion.

"Go on, say something." Sota muttered to me, elbowing me in the gut.

"Get off my back!" I looked back to Kagome, a blush still burning on my face. "You uh . . . you look . . ."

Kagome raised her eyebrows expectantly. She had truly never looked more beautiful before. How come I hadn't ever realized? I mean, sure, I had noticed Kagome was attractive the same way any other guy would, but I hadn't ever realized how beautiful she really was, and it made me feel like an idiot. I was not going to admit it, either. I would die before I did.

"What he's trying to say is that you look beautiful, sis." Sota finally spoke up for me.

"Uh, yeah. What he said." I muttered, and Kagome looked pleased for the most part, though I'm sure she would have rather heard it out of my own mouth.

"Well, we should probably get going now, if we don't want to be late." Kagome replied.

"Right." I stood up, and remembered I held the flowers in my hand. Blushing, my ears lowering slightly, I proffered them to Kagome. "These are for you."

"Oh, they're beautiful. And they're my favorites! Wait a minute . . . I don't remember telling you these were my favorites." Kagome commented, raising an eyebrow at me. "And how did you get money for these?"

"Well, I worked at the shrine and I fixed your bike." I replied, still embarrassed. "Just . . . stop askin' so many questions. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to look a gift horse in the mouth?"

"I suppose you're right. Thank you Inuyasha." Kagome leaned forward, and my heart did that flutter when her soft lips pressed against my cheek. She withdrew, and pulled one of the flowers out of the bouquet, broke off some of its stem, and stuck it in her hair, behind her ear.

"Well, let's get going." Kagome set the rest of the flowers down and slipped her arm through mine, pulling me toward the front door.

"Wait! I need pictures!" Mrs. Higurashi danced in front of the door with a small, strange device in her hands.

"What's that?" I asked suspiciously.

"It's a camera. It takes pictures of whatever you aim it at." Kagome explained.

"Smile you two." Mrs. Higurashi instructed, and I didn't, of course, because the flash from the camera caught me off guard and I was momentarily blinded.

"We probably should have warned him about the flash . . ." Mrs. Higurashi said worriedly, as Kagome waved a hand in front of my spinning vision.

"We'll take just one more, so it won't bother your eyes so bad." Kagome's mother promised, and I shook my head to clear my vision.

"Smile this time, Inuyasha." Kagome elbowed me, and I rolled my eyes before I smiled a little as her mother took another picture.

Not long after that we were walking down the sidewalk toward the park, and I could hear loud music, mainly drums, ahead of us. I could hear people laughing and talking, and my sensitive nose picked up the scent of food.

"This festival must really be a big deal for all of you humans." I commented, seeing other people were dressed up in strange costumes and kimonos as we walked.

"I told you, it's to celebrate the winter solstice." Kagome replied, and she slipped her arm out of mine to instead reach down, and slip her hand around mine. I blushed a little.

"Yeah yeah, all that." I mumbled.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I glanced over at Inuyasha as we walked. He was looking in the direction of the festival, his ears perked up slightly from all the noise. I sighed quietly to myself. _Here I am, on a date with the most gorgeous guy I've ever met . . . I was convinced that I wasn't ever going to get this lucky. Guess I did after all. I wonder what Hojo's going to think?_ I thought, a trickle of excitement going through me. I could only faintly hear the music coming from the festival.

Inuyasha's golden eyes flickered in my direction at the sound of my sigh, and my heart skipped a beat, as usual, when he looked at me so intensely. His eyes were sharp, and they were cold, at times, and guarded, but I was already beginning to see more gentle, sweeter sides of him. Especially with how he had handled Sota, and gave him courage to stand up for himself. I really owed Inuyasha for that.

"I never thanked you for fixing my bike. I mean, you were the one who ruined it in the first place . . ." I added in a mutter, before I continued. "But you did fix it. So, thank you."

"Keh. You've already thanked me for stuff. So just stop already." He muttered, and blushed a little. He was almost always blushing around me, and it was cute. I knew he liked me, but he would kill before he admitted it.

Not long after that, we reached the festival, and I looked around in fascination. There were booths set up everywhere, and the scent of food wafted pleasantly through the air. People walked around arm in arm, hand in hand, smiling and happy. Girls wore kimonos and costumes, and so did guys. I saw a few people wearing costumes far more bizarre than Inuyasha's red kimono and his dog ears, so I relaxed. No one looked at him twice as we walked between booths.

Off past the booths was a large fountain in the park, where couples were dancing to the music that the band was playing a bit of a ways from the fountain. I spotted Miroku and Sango standing by the fountain, smiling and dancing together, and headed over.

Miroku was indeed dressed as a traveling monk, with a dark blue kimono, and a purple sash over it, holding a golden staff in his hand. It suited him. Sango wore a tight black leather outfit with pink shoulder pads and pink armor, and her hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail. She was a demon slayer indeed.

"Wow, you guys look great." I greeted when I reached them.

"Kagome, you look exquisite." Miroku complimented with a smile, and Sango elbowed him, but it was all in good nature, I could tell.

"What are you supposed to be, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked curiously.

"A hanyou, right?" Sango guessed.

"Did the ears give it away?" Inuyasha asked, cocking his head to the side. It was sort of cute.

Sango laughed. "That, along with the claws and fangs. It really suits you, actually. So, half dog demon, I'm guessing?"

"Think you're pretty smart, don't ya?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her, but I could tell, somehow, he was relaxed, and he was teasing. I smiled up at him.

"What are you, Kagome?" Sango looked to me.

"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to wear a pretty kimono. I thought about dressing up as a miko, but . . . I decided not to." It didn't escape my attention when Inuyasha stiffened a little at that statement, and I wondered why. I would have to ask later.

_Now that I think about it . . . there's so much I don't know about Inuyasha. I know that he's a half demon, and he was sent here to take my locket and kill me . . . it's sort of ironic that we're now on a date. I still haven't been able to get information out of him about the locket, and why I have to die . . .I wonder if he still plans to hurt me._ It was a hurtful, depressing thought, and it made me wonder if he was really planning to kill me.

I glanced up at Inuyasha as this thought ran through my mind, and when I saw he was already looking at me, I blushed a little. His expression was serious, and his hand tightened a little around mine. I wondered if he could smell my change in mood, and derived he probably could. It made my heart flutter. I didn't miss the tiny smirk that appeared on his lips when my heart quickened in response to him. I looked away, bright red. "Arrogant creep." I muttered, knowing he would hear me.

"What did you say?" He demanded, glaring at me.

"I'm hungry. Why don't we all go get some food?" I suggested, ignoring him.

"Sounds good to me." Sango let Miroku put his arm around her shoulders as the four of us walked over to a booth with food.

"Kagome! Hey Kagome!"

I looked over my shoulder, seeing Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi waving at us with smiles. I smiled back and waved, and the three headed over.

"Wow Kagome, you look beautiful." Ayumi complimented.

"You look pretty handsome too." Yuka said to Inuyasha, who flushed a bit and "Keh'ed", looking away from her to cover his embarrassment as usual.

"Hi Miroku, hi Sango." Eri greeted, and the couple murmured their greeting back.

"Where are your dates?" I asked the girls.

"Oh, we don't have any." Ayumi hooked her arms through Yuka's and Eri's. "We decided we'd all come together. We don't need dates." All three of them looked beautiful, wearing their kimonos and flowers in their hair, and I was surprised none of them wanted dates. They could each easily have one.

_Oh well. I guess their minds don't work the same way. I wonder when these three will find their very own Inuyasha? Oh, what am I thinking? I've only known him a few days! Slow down, Kagome!_ To stop my ridiculous thought process, I said, "None of you will believe the day I've had."

"Is that so? Why don't you take a walk with us then and tell us all about it?" Yuka took my arm and Sango took Eri's arm and the five of us girls headed away from Miroku and Inuyasha.

"You should have seem Inuyasha with Sota." I started. "Apparently some jerk has been harassing Sota at school, so Inuyasha taught him how to fight." Sango, Ayumi and I laughed together, but Yuka and Eri looked alarmed.

"You mean your brother is going to follow in Inuyasha's delinquent footsteps?" Eri demanded.

"No, of course not! Inuyasha just taught him how to defend himself if this kid tries to hurt Sota. It's just for self-defense. Sota isn't going to go around starting fights." I replied, and Eri and Yuka seemed to relax.

"I actually . . . almost kissed Inuyasha." I admitted shyly, blushing a little.

"You say that like it's news." Eri commented, but when she saw my expression, her eyes widened. "You mean you haven't kissed him, and he's your boyfriend?"

"He's your boyfriend?" Sango asked, her eyebrows raising.

"Um, well . . . kind of." I remembered that this was new information to Sango. "I mean, he pretty much is, in a way . . . but no, I haven't kissed him."

"Well, I thought you had. You'd better get on that, before some other girl snags him. He's far too good looking for his own good." Yuka commented matter-of-factly. "You'd better stake your claim."

"I think it's romantic. You're waiting for it to be special." Ayumi gushed approvingly.

"I agree with Ayumi. Take as much time as you need for the relationship to grow." Sango informed me. "If you just jump into a kiss it will be all wrong. And I can tell you and Inuyasha like each other. So you've got to be careful."

"You think he likes me?" I asked, hopefully.

Sango smiled. "Definitely."

"He'd better like you!" Eri interjected. " 'Cause if he doesn't, then he's gonna pay!" I laughed.

"I'll give him a piece of my mind if he hurts you!" Yuka added, flashing her fist.

"Relax guys." I laughed, waving my hands.

"I definitely think he likes you, Kagome. You two have so much love when you look at each other." Ayumi said with a smile.

"Really?"

"Definitely. It's so romantic." Ayumi sighed. "I can't wait until my prince in shining armor comes for me."

I smiled. "I'm sure it'll be soon."

"I sure hope so. I don't mind going without a date occasionally, but I won't wait around forever." Ayumi waved her finger back and forth.

The five of us picked up plates and began to load food onto them at a nearby booth, and I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Inuyasha and Miroku were seated on a bench, talking and eating. I smiled. _At least Inuyasha already knows Miroku from the past, so he can be relaxed._ I thought. _Some friendships really transcend time . . . what about love? Does it transcend time too?_

"See, that's what I mean!" Ayumi snapped me from my thoughts.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, surprised.

"The way you were looking at him just now. It's written all over your face, Kagome. I think you're in love with this guy." Ayumi's eyes twinkled.

_It's a little early for that, but they don't know how long Inuyasha have known each other, so it's their ignorance. But . . . I do like him. More than anyone I've ever met._ I finally admitted to myself, glancing back at Inuyasha.

"I've never seen you look at anyone like that, Kagome." Sango said softly. "And I've known you my entire life. So it's about time."

I blushed a little. "Don't you guys get so excited. It's just Inuyasha."

"Mr. Bad Boy." Eri commented with a grin.

"Mr. Handsome." Yuka added.

After all of us finished eating, we threw our plates away. The other four girls stood talking, and I dusted my hands off, and turned around, only to find myself face to face with Hojo.

"Oh, Hojo. Um, hi." I greeted, a bit uncomfortable at his close proximity.

"Hi Kagome. Wow, you look great." He complimented politely, smiling at me.

"Oh, thank you." I replied, looking down at my feet.

"You didn't have to get all dressed up for me." He said, looking happy.

_It wasn't for you. It was for Inuyasha._ I thought, shocking myself. "Oh, well, it wasn't exactly for . . ." I started, but he startled me by taking my hands in his.

"Listen, Kagome, I tried to get a hold of you so I could ask you to this festival as my date, but it was hard getting a hold of you. And it looks like you're here by yourself, so, I was wondering if you wanted to be my date for the remainder of the festival?" Hojo asked hopefully. He did look handsome in his blue kimono, but compared to Inuyasha, Hojo was quite plain. I had never really turned Hojo down in the past, but now, I was at a point where I actually wanted to, and it surprised me.

But I didn't even have to. I felt clawed hands grip my shoulders, and suddenly I was behind a very irate Inuyasha. "Who the hell are you?" He demanded, staring Hojo down. His voice was low and angry, and my heart pounded at the possessiveness in his voice. "You'd better have a good excuse."

"Uh-oh, enter bad boy." Eri whispered to the other three girls.

"This is gonna get nasty." Yuka added.

"They're going to fight over her! How romantic!" Ayumi gushed.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Sango muttered, as Miroku joined her.

"This is sure to be interesting." Miroku agreed.

"Excuse me, but I'm not sure we've met?" Hojo asked politely, watching Inuyasha with an apprehensive look on his face.

"No, I don't believe we have. So now's a good a time as any to become acquainted. You want to tell me how you have the nerve to flirt with Kagome like that with me around?" Inuyasha demanded. I was flattered, but worried that this would get out of hand.

"Last time I checked, she wasn't your property." Hojo replied calmly. "I've never seen you around her. And she's never mentioned anything about another guy."

"He's got nerve!" Eri gasped.

"That's because we're relatively new." I said, deciding I should step in before it got nasty. "Inuyasha is my boyfriend, Hojo."

Hojo looked at me, and he looked a bit hurt. "You never mentioned liking someone else."

"Well I . . ." That was true, but, I couldn't feel guilty for it, because I hadn't had a chance since Inuyasha and I had met. But Hojo didn't know that.

"Look, it doesn't matter, because I'm not your property either." I said, and gave Hojo a level glare.

"Then if you don't mind, could you lose the hostility? I had no idea Kagome was attached." Hojo looked to Inuyasha, who was still tense.

"The only reason I'm gonna over look it is because of that." Inuyasha replied darkly. "You should move on, buddy. Don't ever think of flirting like that with Kagome again."

Hojo mustered up the nerve to glare at Inuyasha as he brushed past him and vanished from our sight. "I almost feel sorry for the poor guy." I murmured, watching him leave.

Inuyasha glared at me. "Why would you feel sorry for that jerk?"

"Well, he had no idea I was attached, and you nearly ripped his head off. You've got such a temper." I replied, though with no real bite. I slipped my hand around Inuyasha's and he relaxed a little.

Miroku whistled, and shook his head. "What a hothead."  
"You're telling me." Sango agreed.

"I have a feeling Hojo will be back." Eri muttered to Yuka, who nodded.

"He stepped in on your behalf. How romantic." Ayumi sighed.

I quieted as the sounds of a song I recognized drifted through the air. I smiled to myself, and I looked up at Inuyasha. "Come dance with me, Inuyasha!" I said happily, and tugged him toward the fountain before he could protest.

"Kagome, I don't know how to dance." He argued, looking embarrassed, as I stopped and turned to face him.

"Neither do I." I said cheerfully, and he looked at me like I was crazy as I put my hands on his shoulders and began to sway to the music.

"Kagome!" He protested, but Sango and Miroku moved over to us.

"Like this." Miroku took Inuyasha's hands and placed them on my waist, and his hands were big and warm.

Miroku began to dance with Sango to the music, and soon Inuyasha began to dance with me, and I smiled up at him brightly. My heart was pounding, and I was having a great time. Inuyasha met my eyes, and after a moment, for the first time, he smiled down at me, and his smile was beautiful. It wasn't a fake smile, like the one for the pictures my mom had taken, but it was real, and he looked happy. And I was sure my happiness was written across my face.

"I demand one dance with Kagome, in celebration of her first romance." Miroku declared, and he swept me from Inuyasha's arms. I giggled, and Sango put her hands on Inuyasha's shoulders and they resumed dancing.

"So, Kagome. Don't leave me out on details. Since when are you and Inuyasha dating?" MIroku questioned, raising his eyebrows at me.

"Well, it originally started off as a lie to Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi." I replied, and looked around, seeing said three girls were dancing together and laughing. I smiled to myself. "But . . . I don't know . . . it feels like somewhere along the way it became true."

"I see. Judging by Inuyasha's actions toward Hojo, it does seem true." Miroku agreed. "I'm happy for you, Kagome. I've never seen you smile this way."

I blushed a little. "Thanks Miroku."

"All right. I'm going to claim my man back. Because I love this song. And it's romantic." Sango tugged Miroku away, and he laughed at her possessiveness.

I put my hands back on Inuyasha's shoulders, and he placed his hands on my waist and we resumed dancing as if we hadn't been interrupted. I held his eyes, and blushed a little. "Are you having fun?" I asked softly.

His expression was serious, and he blushed a little at my intense gaze. "I think that's sort of a stupid question. What do you think?" He quipped, and I could see his fangs past his lips as he talked, and it was cute.

"I think . . . that you're having the best time of your life ever." I teased, and he blushed further.

"Keh. Don't flatter yourself." he retorted, but I could tell it wasn't an insult.

Gradually, my smile vanished, and my eyes lowered to his lips. _I . . . I want to kiss him. It will be my first kiss, and . . . I don't think he'll push me away this time. I think he wants to kiss me too._ I looked up at Inuyasha's eyes, and his golden orbs were very, very soft. He was blushing slightly too, and his lips parted, as mine did. He leaned down, and I leaned up, and Miroku and Sango noticed and seemed to wait in anticipation. Inuyasha's lips brushed mine, and I could hear Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi screaming and cheering.

"Ahaha, I'm having so much fun! This is grea-Oops, sorry!" A couple knocked roughly into us, and I stumbled back from Inuyasha. I felt an extreme rush of disappointment at the moment having been ruined, and Inuyasha looked just as annoyed as I was disappointed.

"Take your antics over there!" Inuyasha shoved the guy off him, and the couple retreated.

"I surely thought . . ." Miroku sighed.

"Fate has a funny way of working." Sango agreed, looking disappointed as well. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were also grumbling.

The mood was lost, and we weren't going to kiss now. I think it was kind of spoiled by the idiotic couple. I looked up at Inuyasha, who still looked annoyed. I rested my hands on his chest, and said softly, "Let's just finish dancing, ok?"  
"Hmph." He placed his hands back on my waist, and we resumed dancing as the rest of the song played out.

When the song was over, another song I liked came on, so I began to dance with Eri, Yuka, Ayumi, and Sango while Miroku and Inuyasha stood off to the side, observing all of us with amusement. All of us girls were dancing however we liked, just because it was fun. I laughed as Eri grabbed my hands and began to do the tango with me.

**Inuyasha's P.O.V.**

_Kagome looks so happy with everyone. I really was going to kiss her . . . I've never wanted to kiss someone so much before. Even Kikyo. And she actually wanted to kiss me too. Damn that stupid couple._ I thought, a little annoyed as I watched Kagome dance with all of her friends.

"Don't worry. You'll have another chance. Perhaps the timing was just wrong." Miroku reassured me, obviously knowing what I was thinking.

"Keh. I'm not worried about it. I know there'll be another chance." I murmured, never once taking my eyes off Kagome. Being with her tonight . . . after everything that had happened . . . I was beginning to realize that I was developing feelings for the little annoyance. Whether I wanted to or not.

"So . . . I heard you and Kagome were dating." Miroku commented.

I glanced at him. "What of it?"

"I was under the impression that it was just an act for Kagome's friends. When did it become real?" Miroku asked slyly, arching an eyebrow suggestively at me.

I blushed. "Uh . . . Keh. It didn't."

Miroku smiled. "Kagome thinks it's real now. Why not you?"

"Well I . . . I guess . . . if she wants it to be, then . . . it is." I finally relented, a little embarrassed.

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear it." Miroku replied, smiling at me.

The rest of the festival was pretty eventless, and I had to admit despite myself, I had a good time with Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and even her other friends. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi all forced me to dance with them, and Kagome didn't seem to mind. She actually laughed at my expression, and I glowered at her, promising her in my expression I'd get her back.

Kagome and I walked home in silence, her hand in mine, and for once, she hadn't reached over to take my hand first. Our hands had met in the middle, and Kagome had smiled at this action. I couldn't resist smiling slightly back. It had been years since I'd smiled, and . . . it was a good feeling, to share it with Kagome. She took the pain from Kikyo away.

"It's late." Kagome sighed, as we stepped into the house. "So everyone's probably asleep." I followed her up to her room, and closed the door after us.

"Well, you should get to sleep yourself. It's been a long night." I commented, and I walked over to her window before seating myself indian-style on her window sill. I looked away respectfully as Kagome changed out of her kimono into her pajamas, and let her hair down, to let it tumble in black waves down her back. The fragrance of her skin hit my nostrils, and I resisted the urge to growl in desire, telling myself it would be wrong to take advantage of her so early right now.

Kagome removed the lily from her hair, and she put it to her nose and inhaled, before she smiled at me. She walked over to where I sat, and leaned forward, pecking me affectionately on the cheek. I blushed. "Thanks for coming to the festival with me. I had fun." She said softly.

"Hmph, yeah, well . . . don't get used to it." I mumbled, and she just smiled wider before she set the lily down on her nightstand and laid down, closing her eyes.

I watched her face until she fell asleep, and I looked back up at the moon, which was almost gone. Tomorrow, there would be no moon. _I just hope I can find a way to hide from Kagome tomorrow. I don't want her to see me in my human form and see me that weak and vulnerable. It's just too complicated. I can't control my emotions well in that form, anyway. It's best if I'm away from her._ I thought.

_Sorry Kagome . . ._

**Ok. The relationship took a romantic turn in this chapter, so, you can see that they're bonding already. Which is good, and definitely needed. Leave me some feedback to let me know what you think. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter is a bit short, but it focuses solely on Inuyasha's human night, so that's the reason. Well, I'm glad everyone's liking the story so far. But guys, I just have to say this.**

**I am on the fifth chapter of this story already and I have a shameful amount of review. It embarrasses me that so many people favorite this and put it on their alert and yet won't even leave a review of one or two words. I mean, it's not like it would kill you. I don't say this to the people who do review, but to the ones who favorite me, my stories, put me on alert, yet won't review. You really should. It's a nice gesture of appreciation toward me, especially since I'm writing for your entertainment. I'm going to keep nagging about it too. Sorry, but, I really want reviews and it sort of hurts my feelings that I write all this stuff for you guys and you read it all and won't tell me what you think. So please, please review.**

**Warning: Sexual content in this chapter. Section is NOT marked, but this story is rated MATURE so you should know by now that I write that stuff. **

Chapter five

"You seem awful jittery today. Are you all right?"

I looked up at Mrs. Higurashi, who was looking at me worriedly. I had been tapping my claws restlessly on the table, and I hadn't even realized I was doing it until Sota looked at my claws pointedly, his eyebrows lifting.

"I'm fine." I said tightly, looking away. I was agitated and irritable because of the new moon that would happen tonight. I hadn't gotten any sleep the previous night, and I definitely wouldn't be getting any tonight. I always refused to sleep on the nights of the new moon, for understandable reasons.

"You're still wearing your outfit from last night." Sota pointed out.

"Yeah, well, it's a lot more comfortable than the weird clothes in your era." I retorted, ears flicking with annoyance. "Plus, your mother said she had to wash my other clothes before I could wear them again. And these are clean enough."

Kagome lifted an eyebrow at me. "You're even touchier than usual. What's gotten into you?"

"I have no idea what you're talkin' about. How about all of you stop buggin' me with questions and mind your own business?" I snapped, and resumed tapping with my claws. Sota hastily began to eat his food, but Kagome glared at me. "Keh!" I looked away from her, too anxious to feel guilty for anything right now.

"Well, it's time for us to be heading off, Sota." Kagome said finally. "I'll see you when I get back from school mom, grandpa." Kagome stood up and dropped a kiss on her grandfather's head and headed for the doorway, Sota trailing along after her. Kagome glanced back at me, and gave me a snooty look before turning on her heel and leaving. I growled lowly in my throat, my ears lowering.

"All right, boy. There's something that's bothering you and I'm going to get to the bottom of it." Grandpa set down his newspaper and eyed me suspiciously.

"It'd be best if you didn't question me today, old man. For your sake." I warned him, because I wasn't in the mood for anyone today. Not even Kagome.

"Well in this family we support each other, if something is wrong. Can't you please trust us?" Mrs. Higurashi gently laid a hand on my arm, and I very nearly sighed in frustration. I couldn't be mean to her, not when she was looking at me like that.

"Listen, it's nothin' to worry about. Now could we please just drop it?" I sighed.

"Something is different about your aura today." Grandpa observed. "I sense less demonic energy and more . . . human energy."

I flashed my fangs at him, my temper flaring. "I'm glad you think you're so smart. I thought I told you to drop it, jiji."

"Please relax. We only want to help. But if you don't want to tell us, that's fine. Just let me know if there's anything I can do." Mrs. Higurashi said softly, ever the kind and tender mother.

That peaked my interest. My ears flickered as I looked at her. "Actually, there is something. Is there somewhere I can stay tonight?"

Both she and Kagome's grandfather looked at me in confusion. "But you already stay in Kagome's room. Why do you need somewhere else?" Her mother asked.

"It's complicated. I just need somewhere to be alone tonight." I said quietly, looking away.

"Well . . . there's actually a back room in the shed that I used to stay at when I was younger and wanted to get away. It has a bed in it, as well, and lanterns, so you don't have to sit in the dark." Grandpa offered, after a moment.

"That's perfect." Then I considered, and reluctantly added, "Thanks."

"No problem my boy, no problem." He picked his newspaper back up and resumed reading.

"I'm going to go check it out." I stood up from the table and started for the door. Then I added over my shoulder, "_Don't_ let Kagome bother me tonight."

"Will she be in danger if she does?" Mrs. Higurashi asked worriedly.

I looked away. "In a way." _I won't be able to control my human emotions or urges tonight. It's best if Kagome stays away._ I left the house and headed for the shed.

Like the old man had said, in the shed, there was another door near the back, and I slid it open, entering the room within. It was empty except for a lantern and a small bed against the wall. There was a tiny slot a few feet above the bed to let sunlight in, and I would leave it open and unblocked, so I could keep track of the time and the sky. And also, so I could hear outside movement.

Most of the day passed by pretty quietly after I returned to the house. I was in a foul mood so I avoided everyone and everything, and Buyo remained in my lap for most of the time, where I absently petted him as he purred. He could sense something was wrong with me, the stupid intuitive cat.

"I'm home!" Kagome announced, and her scent, sweet and tangy, wafted in, and I sighed. Already I was beginning to feel the effects of being human, and when Kagome entered the room, I glanced over at her, and my eyes immediately left her face and roamed over the rest of her.

I forced myself to look away when I felt desire stirring down below, and Kagome looked at me curiously. "You're quiet." She commented, coming to sit down beside me. I tensed.

"Yeah, what of it? Do you have to complain about it?"

"I wasn't complaining, I was just saying." Kagome murmured. "Sota stood up to Renkotsu today."

"Did he?"

"Yep." she popped the 'p'. "Gave him a black eye, too, because Renkotsu was picking on him and trying to hurt him again. So the headmaster is letting it go because it was self-defense, and Renkotsu personally promised to leave Sota alone from now on."

"Well, that's good." I answered absentmindedly.

Kagome looked at me for a minute, and then leaned toward me with her large blue eyes searching my face. "I know exactly what's going on with you!" Kagome declared, and I began to sweat nervously.

"You-you do?" I stammered.

"Yep! It's your birthday today." She replied.

I stared at her, and then I shook my head. "No stupid, it's not."

Kagome pouted. "I thought it was for sure. A lot of people get all testy on their birthdays, so I thought you would too. If that's not it, then what is it?

"It's nothing." I looked away, out the window.

"Come on. Don't you trust me?" Kagome persisted, and she laid a hand on my knee.

"I don't trust anyone! You got that?" I said angrily, and I whirled on her as I smacked her hand away.

Kagome stared at me with wide eyes for a moment, and then the scent of salt hit me, and her eyes began to water. I instantly felt guilty as a few tears slipped down her pretty face.

"But if I'm your friend, I want you to trust me." She whispered.

"Wait, Kagome, I . . ." I reached toward her helplessly. "Don't cry . . ."

"Ooh, you're such a jerk, Inuyasha!" She cried angrily. "Why do you always have to be so complicated? Why can't you just trust me and tell me things?"

"It's how I've lived! It's the only way I know how to protect myself!" I said defensively.

"Well, you're going to have to learn to trust me! We've been through a lot, Inuyasha! You should know by now that you can trust me." Kagome glared at me, and then she sighed. "But I won't push you. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I'll just leave."

I didn't want her to leave. But I knew it was better if she did. She stood up, and began to stomp away. "I'll see you tonight, Inuyasha." She sniffed.

"Not likely." I murmured, though she didn't hear me.

As evening grew closer and closer, I grew more and more anxious and fidgety. Everyone was sitting around the dinner table, eating and talking about their days, but I was completely silent. I ate all of my food in a rush, and when I was done, I stood up, and said, "I'm going to go to sleep now. See you in the morning." I turned and left, not missing the way Kagome looked at me suspiciously, hurt in her gaze. I forced myself to ignore it as I went to the shed and to the back room, sliding open the door and closing it after myself.

I used the matches Grandpa had provided me to light the lantern, and I sat down on the bed indian-style, leaning back against the wall and looking out the tiny slot in the wall, up at the darkening sky. It was nearly nighttime.

I sat there in silence, and when night finally fell, my heart beat quickened, and I felt my entire body pulse. I growled as the heat flared through me, and a moment later, I felt my claws and fangs retract, along with my canine ears, and I felt human ears now in their place. My hair turned black, and I knew my eyes were now violet brown instead of gold.

I sighed. "This is going to be a long night . . ." I muttered to myself.

The time ticked away, with me sitting there, completely quiet, lost in my thoughts. At the moment, I was thinking about Naraku. I was thinking about Kagome, and how she was supposed to fall in love with me. I knew if things kept going the way they were, it wouldn't be long before I succeeded and I had to bring her back to Naraku. I didn't want to. I honestly didn't want to. I didn't know if he was going to hurt her or not. I had no idea what he was going to do.

_But Kikyo's soul . . . I'm responsible for her soul, and I can't let Naraku throw her into hell. I have to save her. It's my duty. And I owe her that._ I thought grimly. I was torn between the two, saving Kikyo's soul, and refusing to aid Naraku. I had come to care for Kagome, and I didn't want to see another woman I cared about die.

_And that locket of hers . . . what does Naraku want with it? What's the secret behind it? I need to do research, find out the secrets it holds. If it holds power . . . maybe I can use it to defeat Naraku, and I can save Kagome and Kikyo. Maybe I can turn this into something good. I don't want to deceive Kagome. Then I truly will be the monster that Kikyo once called me . . ._

I heard shuffling within the shed, and I tensed. I had no weapons, nothing to defend myself with, but my bare hands. I had no claws, no fangs, no super strength. I was a mortal, and I was vulnerable and weak. _Naraku said that he can see everything that happens to me and Kagome. Does he know I'm vulnerable right now? Is he coming to finish me off and take the locket from Kagome himself?_ My heart was pounding as the shuffling came closer to the door of the room I was in.

I stood up quietly and moved to stand by the wall beside the door. When they came in, I would grab them and knock them out quickly, and question them once they were awake and bound. I wouldn't be the victim tonight. I refused to let something take advantage of my weakness.

The door slid open, and the figure entered, and I sprang into action. I seized the figure by their shoulders and quickly slammed them back against the wall. When I saw the face, my eyes widened.

"Kagome?" I demanded. "What are you doing in here?"

"I was worried about you, so I came to find you. You weren't in my room, so . . . I checked this shed." Kagome said softly.

"How did you know I'd be here?"

"I guess I got lucky." She shrugged, and eyed me carefully. "So this is what you were so upset about today? What happened to you?"

"Keh. Can't you see for yourself? I'm a human now." I muttered angrily, looking away.

"Is it permanent?"

"It's just for tonight. I'll be a half demon again when the sun rises." I answered quietly, and realized I was still holding her shoulders. I loosened my grip into a more gentle one. "This is what I was trying to prevent. I didn't want you to see me like this."

"But why? What's wrong with it?" She asked softly, and my breath caught when she reached up and cupped my cheek, and her fingers, soft and warm, slid down in a caress, stroking down to my neck. My skin tingled at her touch, and my heart beat faster.

"I'm _vulnerable_ when I'm mortal. I have no claws, no fangs, no strength, no sensitive senses, nothing. I can't protect you in this state. I can hardly protect myself." I snapped. "What _isn't_ wrong with it?"

Kagome's deep blue eyes searched my face, and I noted how beautiful she looked, in the dim orange glow of the lantern light. "So how often does this happen?"

"At the beginning of each month, on the night of the new moon." I said uncomfortably. "How can you be so calm about all of this?"

"Because I don't see it as a weakness." She replied. "I see it as another part of you."

I felt something touch my heart at that statement, and I met her eyes. "Kagome . . ."

"Inuyasha." She said back softly, and her hands rested on my chest, and she moved toward me, until her clothes brushed mine, holding my eyes the entire time. I felt a blush burn my face as her body pressed against mine, and I felt warmth along my body, the warmth of desire. I wanted her, and that much was evident. And tonight, of all nights, I knew that I was not going to be able to resist her as strongly as I could if was a demon.

Kagome leaned up on her toes, and her lips brushed mine, and she held my eyes with a half lidded gaze. She slowly kissed me, and the feeling of her lips, soft, warm, and pliable, awoke something within me that I'd never felt before. My hands moved of their own accord and wrapped around her body, and I pressed her tightly into me, so I could feel her soft breasts and round hips pressing into my body. I felt myself growing hard very swiftly, and instead of kissing her back as softly as she was kissing me, I kissed her back fiercely, showing her through my kiss how badly I wanted her, how much I needed her right now.

I heard her soft sound, and the sound was arousing to my senses. Her lips responded to mine accordingly, returning my fierce kiss, and her hands locked around my neck, as she tilted her head to let me deepen the kiss with my tongue.

Her taste exploded throughout me, sweet and tangy as her scent, and I stroked my tongue with hers, exploring her mouth, showing her clearly through my actions that I was in control, that my possessive nature wouldn't let her have the reigns. Kagome submitted willingly with a soft moan, and my arms tightened around her.

I had never felt such burning desire before, not for Kikyo, not for anyone. I was on fire for Kagome, and there was nothing that was going to stop me from having her. Kagome pulled back from my lips for a brief moment, and she was panting.

"Inuyasha . . ." the way she said my name like that, breathless and laced with desire almost made me groan.

"Kagome?" I murmured back, trailing my lips up to her ear and sucking her earlobe into my mouth. She shivered and pressed tighter against me, and I knew what I was doing to her, and it made my pride swell.

"Nothing, I . . . I'm just nervous." She admitted, as she pulled back from me and looked up into my eyes.

"I'm not asking anything of you." I said back, and my voice was even deeper than usual with arousal.

Kagome bit her lower lip. "Well I . . . I want to . . . make love with you." She whispered shyly, blushing.

My heartbeat quickened at her confession. "I want you to be ready." I whispered back, even as I pressed her even tighter against me, and my lips explored her neck, and I breathed in her scent. My hands stroked down her back.

She gasped quietly at my lustful actions. "I . . . I am."

"You are?" I paused for a moment, so I wasn't distracting her.

Kagome nodded. "Yes."

I pulled back, and looked into her eyes, and I was blushing too. I was nervous, just like she was. I had never made love with anyone. I had barely even kissed someone before. All of it was new to me. And all of it was new to her. I wanted it to be a good experience for both of us.

Kagome leaned up and kissed me again, and the kisses started off slow this time. Her lips were gentle against mine, and I matched her pace. I would take this the way she wanted to. There was no rush at all.

Gradually, the kisses grew more intense, and I couldn't hold back any longer. I parted her lips with my tongue, and when her tongue met mine, I shivered a little and deepened the kiss, my hands running up and down her back. Her hands slid down from my neck, and then touched the red fold of my kosode. She gripped it, and pulled it apart, sliding it off my shoulders. She slid her hands into my white undershirt next, and pushed it aside as well, baring my skin. A woman had never seen so much skin on me before, and my heart began to pound as her fingers touched my belt and she began to undo the knot there.

She tossed my belt aside and my shirts fluttered to the floor when the belt was gone. I had nothing left but my pants, and Kagome kissed me, her hands caressing all along my chest, running over my skin, warm and soothing. My skin tingled wherever she touched, and my muscles jumped and flexed as her hands passed over my stomach.

"You have so many muscles." She whispered, and I smiled slightly against her lips as she continued to caress my chest.

"Yeah, well, I do a lot of fighting." I responded, and my breath caught when her hands slid down my back and then over my bottom.

Kagome pulled back and held my eyes as she did this, and the look in her eyes made my mouth dry. "Inuyasha." She whispered, and that did it.

I kissed her hard, yanking her against me, and my own hands drifted down to her round bottom, and I caressed her, hearing her soft sound of delight as I touched her. Our kiss was teeth, lips, and tongue, and it was rough. I couldn't be gentle with her, not when she was tempting me on purpose like she was.

Kagome was now fighting me for dominance, and it was more sexy than I believed it could be. She put her hands flat on my chest and pushed me back, and pressed me down onto the bed, straddling my hips. She leaned down and kissed me passionately, and my hands slid up her back, tangling in her hair. Her hands slid up my bare skin again, and I felt goosebumps cover my skin.

I pulled back from her lips reluctantly, and touched the hem of her shirt, looking up into her eyes. I began to undo the buttons on her shirt slowly, holding her gaze. Her breathing was fast, and I knew she was nervous. When I finished unbuttoning her shirt, I pulled it aside and let it flutter to the floor, leaving her in that lacy thing that covered her chest. It pushed her already large breasts up and together, emphasizing them heavily. I very nearly groaned at the sight.

"What is this?" I asked huskily, as my fingertips traced the outside curves of her breasts very lightly. I saw her breathing hitch at my touch, and almost smiled.

"It's called a bra." She answered.

"How do you get it off?" My hands slid slowly underneath the bra, and Kagome's eyes closed and her lips parted as my hands slid over her breasts. Her nipples tightened against my palms, and I felt a rush of frustration as I couldn't touch them properly, because her 'bra' was too tight for me to manuever.

"I . . . um . . . oh . . ." I squeezed her breasts and she gasped, seeming to struggle to form words. It was cute, and I watched her face as her eyelids fluttered and sexy moans escaped her mouth as I touched her.

"So are we gonna take it off or not?" I asked, not once removing my hands from her.

"Yeah. Of course." she seemed to regain some of her composure, and she reached around, her fingers working, and suddenly her bra loosened. I reached up and slid my fingers under the straps and pulled them down, pulling them from her arms before I tossed her bra away.

Kagome's arms raised to cover her chest, but I anticipated that was what she was going to do before she did it, so I caught her wrists and flipped us over, so she was on her back and I was leaning over her, holding her eyes.

My lips met hers softly, sensually, and our tongues battled for a moment before I withdrew and kissed down her body, moving swiftly toward her breast. I tongued her nipple, and she gasped, as I pulled her nipple into my mouth and drew on it tenderly. I gently took it in my teeth and tugged, and she arched her back, her nails clenching in my shoulders.

When I pulled back, Kagome kissed me fervently and held me close to her, and I slid my arms around her body, the feelings in my heart and body intense. I felt more than just desire for her in that moment. I felt affection, and a deep caring for her. She meant a lot to me, and doing this with her meant more to me than just satisfying my desires.

Kagome's hand slid down my chest and down, even further, and a gasp of surprise caught in my throat when her hand slid between my thighs, and over my erection. She rubbed me for a moment, and then her hand lifted, and she slid it inside my pants, and down, brushing my skin. I shivered, and her hand hesitantly explored my length, before she grew more confident stroking along me. Her hand finally slid around me and I shuddered, as her hand stroked up. My hips arched with the sensual movement, and my arms trembled around her as her tongue gently played with mine. And she was playing with _me_, stroking her fist up and down, playing with my body like she was playing an instrument.  
My forehead dropped to hers, and our lips parted, and we were both panting. "Kagome . . ." I moaned, as her hand began to move faster, and more forcefully. My hips moved with her hand helplessly, and I knew I was going to explode if she kept it up. I was on fire already as it was, and her sensual caress was far too pleasurable.

Kagome withdrew her hand and I felt disappointed but also relieved. I looked down at her, and I wanted to return the favor. I wanted to touch her the way she touched me. Her fingers slid over my hips, and she began to pull my pants down, and I would be completely naked when she finished.

"Wait." I whispered. "I want to do something first."

I reached down and unbuttoned her pants, and I slid down the 'zipper' before I pushed her pants down and helped her out of them. I reached down, and slid my hand underneath her undergarments, sliding them down, and off her legs, leaving her completely naked. Once she was completely bare, I paused, looking over her body.

She was beautiful. So beautiful it nearly hurt to look at her. Her breasts were rounded and full, her waist slim, her stomach flat, and her hips flared out beautifully, and down, even further below, I blushed when I saw that place, because I had never seen a woman so bare before.

I bit my lower lip, nervous, as I reached down, and lightly touched her there. Kagome held my eyes, and I felt her warmth and wetness there, and was proud of how I had affected her.

"Here. Do this." Kagome reached down, and guided my fingers to a nub that was swollen, and said, "Touch me there."

I gently began to massage the swollen bud, and after a few moments, Kagome's eyes closed and a soft moan escaped her lips, and her hips arched up into my hand. I smiled slightly, and continued to caress her, wanting to give her the pleasure she had given me. I pressed a bit harder and she gasped, her hips jerking up in response to my touch.

I knew that I needed to explore the inside of her, as well. I knew it would make it less painful to her. I moved my hand down, searching, and when I found an opening, I slid my finger inside slowly, and Kagome winced. "I'm sorry." I whispered, and gentled my movements. My finger pressed against resistance, and a thought occurred to me. "If I break through it like this, it might not hurt so bad." I suggested.

"Well, I . . . it's uncomfortable as it is, so . . . yeah, go for it." Kagome encouraged.

I nodded and added a second finger, and pressed my fingers up hard and swiftly, and I broke the barrier. Kagome gasped and whimpered, and tears filled in her eyes as she clamped her nails into my shoulders. I winced from the bite of her nails, but I knew the pain I felt was nothing compared to what she was feeling.

"It hurts . . ." She whimpered.

"I know." I whispered back, and I pulled my fingers away, seeing there was a light coating of blood covering them. I wiped them off on my pants, and then slid my arms around her. "We'll wait until you feel better." I promised.

After a few long moments, her tears stopped and she sniffled. "I think . . . I'm ready now." She whispered.

I pulled back and looked at her face, and I stroked her tears away with my thumb. "Are you sure?" I asked worriedly, my heart pounding a bit.

"I . . . I think so." She nodded shakily.

"All right." I reached down and pulled my pants off, and when I saw Kagome staring at me, I flushed. "What? Why are you gawking at me like that?"

"It's nothing, it's just . . . it looks different than I imagined." Kagome replied, staring at my erection.

"Is that bad?" I asked, more and more embarrassed by the minute.

"No. Just . . . different." She giggled quietly as she reached down and slid a hand around me, pumping slowly.

I closed my eyes as my hips moved with her hand. "Kagome . . ." I moaned. "Stop that . . ."

Kagome leaned up and kissed seductively along my neck. "But why? You like it . . ."

"Yes, way too much." I confessed. "So that's why."

Kagome reluctantly released my erection, and I reached down, parting her thighs, and laying down between her hips. My heart was racing, and I didn't think I had ever been so nervous. I knew she was as well. She had to be.

"Will I . . . get pregnant?" Kagome whispered, as I settled against her.

"You didn't have a particular scent when I was still half demon earlier, so no." I replied, as Kagome stroked up and down my arms with her fingertips.

"Well, I'm ready." Kagome said nervously.

"A-all right." I stammered, and I pressed my erection where my fingers had been earlier, and began to push forward. Kagome clutched tight to my shoulders, and I had some difficulty working inside, because she was tight and her body was rejecting my entrance.

"You have to at least try to relax." I finally said with a sigh. "It's not even going to get in halfway if you don't relax some."

"If I was trying to put a tree trunk up inside you you might not be so relaxed!"

"I'm not that big." I protested, blushing.

"Yes, you really are." Kagome gasped as I pushed further inside her, gritting her teeth. "It burns."

"I'm sorry." I said back softly, feeling guilty for hurting her. "Just try to relax."

"Ok . . ." Kagome loosened her hold on my shoulders, and I felt her muscles relax more around me. I thrust up hard, to get it over with, and I was quickly buried inside her, and Kagome made a tiny sound of pain.

"It's over now." I whispered to her, holding her close to my body, gently kissing her cheek, my hands stroking up and down her body soothingly.

"Then go ahead and move. That should make it feel better, right?" Kagome held tightly onto my body, and I could tell she was braced for the worst.

I pulled my hips back, and then pressed back inside, trying to be slow and gentle. After a few thrusts, Kagome's body became warmer on the inside, and her body relaxed in my arms. Instead of rejecting me, her body was now inviting me, and it was the most seductive feeling I'd ever felt. Her insides were warm and wet around me, like silk, and I began to lose myself as I moved in and out of her body.

"Inu . . . yasha?" Kagome asked in a tiny voice, as I thrust into her.

"What is it?" My voice was rough, and my breathing was labored. I wasn't sure how long I'd last at this rate, honestly.

"Does it feel good to you?" She asked shyly.

"More than good. Great." I confessed, and when Kagome suddenly arched her hips up and met me mid-thrust, a moan caught in my throat. It felt far too good. "It it good for you?" I dared to ask.

"It still stings but . . . it's starting to feel . . . oh!" Kagome's eyelids fluttered closed as I shifted my hips slightly, so I was thrusting at a different angle.

"That's a good reaction." I murmured, and continued to move, quickening my pace slightly. Kagome continued to arch to meet my thrusts, and soon, it was far too hard to think, far too hard to form words, and I couldn't talk. Soft gasps were all that Kagome could manage, and I wasn't any better off. I grunted every time I sunk back into her wet heat, and her insides began to tighten around me.

"Kiss me." She whispered, and I turned my head, and her lips found mine, and I kissed her as passionately as I could muster as our hips continued their frantic pace. I was moving too fast, too hard, and it was too much.

Suddenly white hot heat hit me, and I moaned her name as my release hit me, and my entire body was on fire, and my skin tingled. I heard Kagome moan softly as I came inside her, and my hips thrust into her a few more times, and then it was over.

When I came to my senses, I realized what I had done, and felt a rush of shame. "Kagome, you didn't . . ." I started, but she laid a finger over my lips.

"It's ok. That's because it was my first time. I know I will next time. I was about to when you did." she reassured me. "I understand. It was your first time too."

"Yeah . . . I'm sorry." I said, still embarrassed with myself.

"It's all right." She repeated, as I laid down beside her. Kagome turned and snuggled against me, and I reached down, grabbing my red kosode, and I draped it over us to keep us warm before I wrapped my arms around her and cuddled her against me.

"If you weren't human, would this have happened?" Kagome asked softly, her fingers stroking my chest.

I considered my answer carefully, and then decided. "Yeah, it would have." I admitted. "Maybe not tonight, but it would've happened."

"So you do like me after all." Kagome said softly, smiling against my chest.

"Tch. Of course not." I replied, and grunted when she punched me in the shoulder.

"Just shut up already and admit it."  
"Fine. I like you." I mumbled, and Kagome leaned up and kissed my lips softly.

"Good, because I like you too." she murmured.

"Keh. Quit bein' mushy and go to sleep." I said fondly, as I stroked her back.

"Will you still be here when I wake up?" she mumbled.

"Yeah."

"Promise?"

I was quiet for a moment. "Yeah. I promise."

**Aww, so they finally did the hanky panky. A few of you guys might not like the fact that Kagome didn't have a wonderful, mind-blowing orgasm, but I tried to make this lemon realistic. Because honestly, how many girls come their first time? Not a lot. It's pretty dang rare, and I haven't heard of it happening from anyone I know. Not that it isn't possible, but it's really rare. Plus, both of them were nervous and awkward, and ALL teenagers are their first time. ANYONE is their first time. They aren't just instantly sex gods. So, there. Now that that's said, let me know what you thought of the chapter. It focused on those two, and bringing them together. Hope you liked it. :)**

**Please, PLEASE review. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok, now it's time to bring some more plot points in. So, everybody prepare. :P **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I don't even have twenty reviews yet, and I've got six chapters . . . so please everyone, work to give me reviews. I would love to have them. There aren't too many chapters left now.**

Chapter six

I felt warmth surrounding me when I first stirred in the morning, and the warmth was emanating from something laying against my chest. Something soft and pliable.

_Kagome._ I recognized her sweet scent immediately, and I opened my eyes, looking down at the young girl in my arms, sleeping soundly. I was well aware of what had happened last night, in my human form, and I was also well aware of the fact that it would have happened eventually, if not last night. That is, if I continued to remain around Kagome.

_Something about her is just so . . . different. I can't really put my finger on it. But maybe it would be best if I don't think about it much. I don't need it to get complicated. I just need to go ahead and accept that I . . . like Kagome. To a certain degree._ I sighed quietly to myself, glancing up at the small slot in the backroom of the shed. Sunlight peeked within, and I knew it was still very, very early morning. The humans would still need a few more hours of sleep.

_I probably need to go check in with Naraku . . . I'd rather not, but . . . I probably should. Let him know the progress is going along, so he doesn't get impatient and do something to Kikyo's soul._ But then, I thought of something else.

_Kagome is the first woman I've ever been with intimately, physically . . . and, it meant something to me, being with her in that way. I wouldn't have done this with just anyone. Hell, I wouldn't have even kissed Kikyo if I hadn't loved her. I don't love Kagome; that's impossible right now. But . . . I care about her. And . . . what if Naraku is planning to kill her?_ It wasn't the first time these thoughts had crossed my mind, but now, they bothered me more than ever. I felt a rush of protectiveness for Kagome. I didn't want her to be hurt. If she was killed . . .

"I can't bear to see another woman I care about die . . ." I whispered to myself, aloud, because it was true. My arm unconsciously tightened around Kagome.

_All of this started out as a method to protect Kikyo's soul, to save it. To give her some semblance of peace, as her life was taken from her by Naraku. But . . . now it's becoming something worse, and I feel like I'm going to do more harm than good. I . . . I can't go through this. I need to see Naraku. I need to see what his intentions for Kagome are. Before she wakes up._ I carefully slid my arms away from Kagome and stood up, and she stirred only slightly before settling back down, peacefully asleep. I watched her for a moment, realizing that ever since the night of the festival I hadn't been able to get over how beautiful she was. It wasn't like me. I wasn't the mushy, wussy guy who cooed over a woman's looks. But . . . Kagome was breathtaking.

Shaking my head clear of those thoughts, I grabbed my robe of the fire rat and donned it quickly, and once my obi was in place and tied, holding everything together, I headed for the Bone Eater's well.

Once I was through, and back in my own time, I took a moment to stand in the field, seeing it was daytime here as well. "The times in our worlds obviously aren't different, since they're essentially the same places." I murmured.

I glanced around the lush green field, where yellow wildflowers bloomed in patches here and there, and the wind tugged gently at my hair and clothes, causing the leaves to rustle with whispers of sound. _It's so quiet. This is close to where Kikyo and I first met. I never thought, not even for an instant, that things would end up the way they did, the first night I saw her . . . the night of the new moon._

It was ironic. There were so many similarities between Kagome and Kikyo, and not just their looks. It was in Kagome's spiritual energy, in the way I was feeling about her, in the fact that she possessed the locket Kikyo and I had stumbled upon accidentally.

_Was it fate that I met you, Kagome? _I thought, my heart panging in more ways than one. It longed for Kikyo, felt sorrow for what she faced now, but it also longed for Kagome, who was here, living, breathing, beautiful.

_I don't have time for this._ I shook my head and began to track for Naraku's scent, and once I located it, I followed the trail toward the Goshinboku tree.

Naraku was already there when I reached him, and he wore a simple purple vest over a blue kimono, instead of his normal armor and green tentacles. When he turned around to face me, he almost looked human.

"Inuyasha. I trusted you would not return until your task was completed." He commented, his face inscrutable.

"Yeah well, surprise surprise." I said sarcastically. "Naraku, since I'm doin' your work for you, I have some questions, and they need answering."

"Are you giving me orders?" he lifted one eyebrow.

"If necessary." I said defiantly. "I want to know what you want with Kagome. You told me to make her fall in love with me, and that once I succeeded, to bring her back here, with the locket. But you failed to elaborate why."

"I also stated that all would be explained in due time, Inuyasha." Naraku replied calmly. "Don't jump to conclusions, hanyou. It would be better if you waited to find out. Besides, why ruin the surprise? You might like it."

I couldn't contain the growl of anger that escaped my throat. I could feel my ears flattening to my head aggressively. "Don't play games with me, Naraku! I have a right to know, especially if I have to get involved! If you plan on hurting Kagome-"  
"Does that ail you, Inuyasha?" Naraku raised his eyebrows, as if we were discussing the weather. "Does that thought trouble you?"

I felt my fists clench, and my jaw tightened. I bared my fangs at him. "Answer the question, you bastard! Are you planning on hurting her?"

Naraku smirked. "Never for a moment did I imagine that you would fall for this mortal girl. I clearly remember instructing for her to fall in love with you, Inuyasha, not the other way around."

I flushed with anger. "Why you-"

"Though I'm not particularly surprised." Naraku turned away from me, and looked up at the sacred tree, before placing a pale hand on the bark. "You did fall for Kikyo, after all. It is only natural the same result would come from Kagome."

"What do you mean?" I demanded. "There's something you're not tellin' me, Naraku!"

Naraku didn't answer that. "And her locket? Has it displayed any strange behavior?"

I was caught off guard by the abrupt question, but not surprised. Naraku was after the locket more importantly, after all. "No. Why?"

"Then that means there is still time before you should return. You will know when the time to return is, Inuyasha. You will notice by the locket." Naraku commented.

"Why do you want that locket so badly anyway? That's what all of this is about, right? You said that you 'required' Kagome, and you want the locket that she has. So she has something to do with that blasted thing. There's a connection." I realized. "And her falling in love with me is related to all of it? I don't understand."

"I didn't expect you to." Naraku was looking at at the branches of the tree now, and it was so odd, to see him bathed in sunlight, as vile as he was. It was ironic and disgusting at the same time. "There is a long, ancient history that surrounds the locket. I suppose since you are going to the trouble of retrieving it for me, I can give you a history lesson.

"Centuries ago, a mortal woman fell in love with a warrior who had fought in many wars and had promised to come back and wed her. She filled her mind with fantasies of their lives together, and as these fantasies grew, the warrior wooed her, her happiness grew. However, love is fickle in humans, and her love was not requited, for the warrior simply lusted after the woman, and did not intend to fulfill his promise.

"The mortal woman found out that the warrior had lain with another woman and she bore him a child. Enraged by this betrayal, the mortal woman was infused with hatred and bitterness for this warrior who had so vilely scorned her. Little did she know that demons feasted upon her hatred and possessed her.

"She hunted down the other woman, and slew her, and the infant without a second thought, possessed as she was. She was bathed in their blood, and the warrior came with a priest, who saw the woman was possessed. He attempted to exorcise the demons from her body, but the demons fused together with the woman to form one powerful female demon. She slew the warrior who had scorned her, and in that moment, the priest used the sacred locket around his neck to seal the female demon inside. She still remains trapped inside the locket . . . but her powers are great."

I felt my eyes narrow. "So you want to free this demon from the locket? That's the gist of what you're saying?"

"Not necessarily for the purposes that you would believe." Naraku faced me, and he was smirking. "It is far more complicated than you would assume, Inuyasha. Just be satisfied with my story."

"So you need Kagome to release this thing?" I demanded. "And you need her to fall in love with me? I'm not putting any of this together! Why Kagome?"

"Do you not find it strange that Kagome possesses the locket, Inuyasha? I figured that part would bother you more. I didn't choose her specifically for this task. She just happened to be misfortune enough to be involved." Naraku smirked at me.

That sent my temper reeling, and in a flash, I was in front of him, and I had slammed him back against the tree by the collar. "I don't know what you're planning with her or what you're hoping to happen, but if you hurt her, Naraku, I will kill you." I snarled.

Naraku just continued to smirk at me. "Your temper knows no bounds."

"What will you do if I refuse to bring Kagome to you? Why can't you just take the locket and be satisfied with that? Why do you have to have her?" I demanded.

"Because she is essential to this task." Naraku said, almost pleasantly. He didn't seem affected at all by my pinning him to the tree. "She will be part of this, whether you like it or not."

"Then I refuse." I said angrily. "Fuck your locket. I won't have part in this." I released him and turned away, but his voice stopped me.

"You would forsake Kikyo so easily? The woman you loved?" I looked over my shoulder, and saw Naraku held Kikyo's soul in his hand. It turned blood red, as once before, and began to beat frantically, and I could hear her screams. My heart stopped beating.

"ENOUGH!" I roared, and lunged toward him, but Naraku laughed cruelly as he darted out of the way and continued his assault on Kikyo's soul.

"Let her GO!" I screamed, and launched myself in his direction once more, my claws at the ready. Naraku smirked and used his free hand to bat me out of the way easily, and pain erupted in my face, and I hit the ground hard, knowing there would be a bruise to my face, despite the fact I was a half demon. He had hit _hard_.

I started to rise, but Naraku was there in a flash, his booted foot on my neck, holding me down. "Do not dare to presume you could ever defeat me, you worthless halfbreed. You will never even come close to my amount of power. It is a mere dream in your pathetic eyes that will never be realized."

"Kikyo! You . . . bastard!" I choked out, and Naraku dropped his hand, and her soul vanished. He leaned down, so I had to look into his blazing red eyes.

"You _will_ obey me, Inuyasha, or everything that you care about will suffer. Kikyo will burn in hell, Kagome will die, and then you will not even have the pleasure of joining them. I will make sure of it. Now, return to your mortal woman. I will overlook your traitorous actions this time, because you are far too useful for me to kill at the current moment." Naraku released me, and before I had the chance to react, he had vanished into thin air.

When I returned back to Kagome's era, I went back to the shed, seeing Kagome was still laying on the small bed in the backroom, fast asleep and completely nude. Sighing, I removed my red kosode and draped it gently over her, so she would stay warm. I sat down on the floor and crossed my legs and my arms, waiting for her to wake up.

It wasn't long before she did, as it was growing later and later in the morning. First she stirred, then yawned, and opened her large blue eyes. When she saw me, seated and dressed, she blushed and sat up, her hair tumbling down about her shoulders in big waves.

"Good morning. You're dressed already? I was hoping to wake up with you naked too." she smiled at me, but I didn't smile back. I couldn't even look at her, so I looked at the floor.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly, and I could smell her happiness was quickly vanishing into depression. She knew something was wrong, because she could read me so easily.

"It's nothing. Forget about it." _How am I supposed to tell her that I'm leading her into a false relationship, only to hand her over to an evil demon later on who could possibly kill her? I'm trapped either way I look at it. _

"Oh no you don't." Kagome stood up and moved over to me, and crouched down, clutching my kosode tightly around her to cover herself. It was sort of cute, that she was being so modest especially after what had taken place last night. "Don't shut me out. I think we're past all of that by now. So tell me what it is."

"Nothin'. Look, just drop it, ok?" I snapped, and when I looked at her, seeing her expression, I sighed and said more gently, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Is it . . . me?" she asked in a sad whisper. "Are you regretting what happened? Are you . . . disgusted?"

I was shocked. "Are you kidding me?" I demanded. "Of course not! Don't even think something so incredibly ridiculous."

Kagome blushed, and I blushed too, realizing I had said a little more than I wanted to. It seemed that even though I wasn't human anymore, Kagome still had the effect on me to make me admit to feelings I would barely even admit to myself. "Oh, well, good. I was worried that that was what this was about. So, whatever's wrong with you, does it have to do with me?" she asked gently.

I looked away. _Sadly, it has everything to do with you. But . . . I can't tell you that._ I thought. "Not at all." I lied, hating having to lie to her. I hated it. Kikyo, I had been able to lie to, and I had felt guilty about it, but not like this. Lying to Kagome felt like lying to a child about something horrible. I _hated_ it.

"Then why can't you look me in the eyes?" she demanded, grabbing a lock of my white hair and yanking my face around to hers. I glared at her. "Does this have something to do with that other girl you have the hots for?"

I was taken off guard. Actually, I hadn't really thought of Kikyo associated with mine and Kagome's lewd actions the previous night. "Well, er, sort of." That was true. Kikyo did have to do with this entire mess.

"Then if she's the reason you're depressed, then you need to tell me. I think I have a right to know, considering that I was a virgin and I let you have me . . ." Kagome blushed and looked away, and I could sense she was jealous at the thought of another woman being on my mind. And it was both understandable and slightly amusing.

"It's not like that." I admitted. "It's just . . . she looks a lot like you." I finally confessed.

Kagome looked surprised. "Really?"

"Personalities are completely opposite though." I muttered. "But yeah, you look like her."

"So . . . last night . . . was it because of her? Were you thinking of her?" Kagome's tone grew very, very sad.

I felt my eyes widen. "What! No! She was the _last_ thing on my mind!" I blurted out, and Kagome gasped quietly.

"Really?" Kagome asked shyly, and scooted closer to me. Suddenly, I was very, _very_ aware that she was naked underneath my kosode, and I felt my face heat.

"Y-yeah." I stammered. Last night, as I had been human, my emotions had been rampant, but I had been able to understand them further. Right now, I was vulnerable to Kagome and how she made me feel, and I wasn't sure how to react. I didn't have my human instincts so much as my demon ones, and while my demon ones ordered that I throw her on the floor and fuck her senseless and dominate her, my human instincts told me that was wrong and she wouldn't appreciate it too much. I had to constantly remind myself that while I may be half human, she was full human, and the things I would consider natural and instinctual she would not. Like chasing those damned cars, for instance.

"You blush a lot." she commented softly, reaching up and gently running her fingers over my cheek. Tingles followed the path of her fingertips.

"You said that once already." I muttered, embarrassed.

"Are you embarrassed because of _me_?" she giggled. "Don't be. I'm only a girl, Inuyasha. I don't bite. Too hard." she leaned forward and brushed her lips against mine, and my heart was racing in my chest. How could she have this effect on me?

"Kagome, I . . ." I swallowed, realizing I was very swiftly becoming aroused and likely to give in to my demonic desires if she kept tempting me. "Your family is going to wonder where we are soon, and they could come walking in . . ."

"Are you ashamed of me?" she whispered, scooting until she was straddling my lap and beginning to lace kisses all up and down my neck with soft, warm lips.

I let my eyes close, and my breathing was faster, and I was so hard I would have embarrassed myself if she commented on it. "No, that's not it. But I don't want your gramps to try and purify me."

Kagome laughed softly and nibbled on my jaw, leaning up and brushing tantalizingly along my lips, but not kissing me. I almost whined in frustration. She was teasing me and she knew it. My hands rested on her hips, and I certainly didn't push her away. I was enjoying this, believe it or not. It was torture, but sweet torture nonetheless.

"Besides . . . I haven't had you in your half demon form yet. And this is the way that you are all the time. And, as a demon . . . I have expectations . . ." Kagome trailed off as she nuzzled her lips against mine, and ran her hands up and down my chest, pushing my undershirt off my shoulders to touch my bare skin. I shuddered with desire.

"Such as?" I dared to ask, my voice husky.

"That you'll be rough with me." She leaned up, whispering this in my canine ear, and it flicked in response to her warm breath, and I shuddered again, my ears and entire body sensitive to her.

"You've got to be sore from last night." I pointed out. I hadn't been rough with her, but it was her first time. As it was mine.

"Not that sore. It really wasn't too bad." Kagome confessed. "It's almost like . . . a pleasant soreness. I can deal with it."

"I still really don't think we should . . ." I murmured back, but was swiftly losing the will to fight because Kagome finally kissed me and I was far too occupied with molesting her mouth with my tongue to really stop her.

While she kissed me, Kagome began to shift on top of me. At first her movements were hesitant, uncertain, because she hadn't been on top last night, and she was inexperienced, but gradually she grew confident, and I growled with desire as I responded, my hips falling into rhythm with hers. She was warm and wet, and I could feel it pressed directly over my erection, and it was driving me nuts, the friction created by our clothes and the fact that I could feel she was aroused by me, that I was aroused by her, and that I wasn't inside of her yet.

Gradually her kisses grew more and more desperate, and my erection began to pound as shockwaves of pleasure raced throughout me. I felt like we were just humping each other like a bunch of lustful teenagers, and perhaps we were, but while I knew I would come if we continued like this, I knew I wanted it to be in a different way. It just wasn't as satisfying.

We were both panting when Kagome's hands reached down and she began to fumble with the ties to my hakama. Her fingers kept stumbling because she was struggling to get it undone, and I knew she was desperate to have me inside her just as I was desperate to be there with her.

Kagome finally gave a whine of frustration against my lips when the ties still weren't undone. "Inuyasha, please." She begged.

I was not in the mood to tease her, because I wanted her just as much. I reached down and used my claw to deftly pull all the ties free without tearing them, and then Kagome's hand snaked down and she gripped my erection and I gasped as she pulled me free in a sudden movement. She rose slightly, and then when she dropped back down, a loud, embarrassing sound escaped my throat as I slid all the way inside her.

Kagome's eyelids fluttered and then closed as she moaned my name, gripping my shoulders and beginning to move her hips. I gripped her thighs tightly in my hands, moving my hips with hers, the feeling of her sheathing me so tightly overwhelming. I could barely breathe, let alone think, and all I could even think about was that Kagome was very rapidly becoming my undoing, and soon, it would be impossible to resist anything she wanted if this kept up.

There was nothing but the erotic sounds of our movements and our loud, harsh panting in the room, and somewhere in the process as we made love, Kagome's kosode fell open, exposing her naked body, and I lost it. I groaned with pleasure at the feeling of her around me and gripped her hips in an iron vice, beginning to pound into her with a vengeance. Kagome gasped and her insides tightened almost to the point of pain, but it felt too wonderful to hurt. She sank her nails into my shoulders and kissed me fiercely as our hips moved together harshly, my name escaping her lips whenever our mouths would part to breathe. There was nothing more erotic than hearing her say my name like that, _my_ name, in the midst of passion.

Just as I thought I was going to lose it, and I thought I was going to be unable to satisfy Kagome, I was pleasantly surprised, for her breath suddenly quickened, a tiny whimper escaped her lips, and then she cried out, and her insides clamped around me, and forced me to come with her. I groaned and buried my face in her neck, and our hips continued to move until the pleasant sensations vanished, and then it was over.

Even a few minutes later, Kagome still laid against my chest, and we were both still panting and sweaty. "Did we really just have sex on the floor like two horny teenagers?" She asked me, and I would have blushed if I hadn't been so currently worn out.

I snorted. "You started it."

Kagome laughed. "I did. But can you blame me? You're very sexy . . ." she ran her fingertips seductively down my chest and further down, brushing just down past my belly button. I drew in a sharp breath as I began to harden inside of her again, as we hadn't yet worked up the energy to separate.

Kagome laughed again when she felt my reaction inside of her. "My my, someone's eager for more."

I glared at her. "Can you blame me?" I mocked.

"Don't sass me, dogboy." she said sternly, pulling back and holding my eyes. She gripped my shoulders, and held my gaze as she started slowly moving her hips, sliding me in and out of her, until I was fully hard again and I began to throb with desire.

"Kagome . . ." I moaned pitifully and with pleasure, gripping her hips and trying to get her to move faster. I couldn't take this slow pace.

"Ah ah ah." she chided. "I'm in control here."

I opened my eyes, and grinned at her. "Is that what you think, girl? I'm only _letting_ you have control."

Kagome blushed. "Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try to push me off right now."

That did it. I shoved her back and she gasped as she landed on the floor, on her back, with me leaning over her, and still deeply embedded within her. "You asked for it." I breathed, and began to thrust roughly into her.

I drew deep satisfaction by hearing her gasps and her pleas, and I knew I was driving her into a frenzy. It was by far the sexiest thing I'd ever experienced, hearing her voice laced with desire and passion as she called my name out, feeling her legs wrap around my waist and pull me in deeper, feel her hands grip my back in an embrace and pull me down to kiss me desperately. I had a feeling I wasn't ever going to tire of Kagome.

"I sincerely hope we aren't interrupting anything."

I froze, and so did Kagome, and I was suddenly thankful the door wasn't open. But I could recognize Miroku's voice, and he sounded highly amused. I cursed under my breath as Kagome panted beneath me.

"Now now, no need for language, Inuyasha." Miroku chided. "If you want Sango and I to join you, I'm not completely opposed to the idea-"

"All right, that's enough." Came Sango's flat voice from behind the door. "We just came over to hang out with you guys. So, um, when you finish up here, we'll be inside, Kagome." I heard their retreating footsteps.

Somewhere in the process, I'd lost my hardness to a certain degree, and I sighed as Kagome did. "We'll just have to finish it later." she said gently, stroking her fingers down my back and holding my eyes. I felt a throb of affection for her, looking down at her, always so understanding.

"Yeah." I said softly, and I pulled out of her, and grumbled to myself as I fixed the ties to my pants and took my kosode back from Kagome. She gathered up her own clothes that were still on the floor from the previous night and pulled them on as I tied my belt into place.

"We're awful lucky that that door wasn't open." Kagome commented, as we dressed.

"You're tellin' me." I grumbled.

"No, I mean, because they would have seen your dog ears. And there's no way you'd be wearing them for days straight if they were fake." Kagome commented.

I hadn't thought of that, so I just grunted in response. "Then you'll have to get me some clothes and that cap to look normal before they see me."

"You can just go to my room. All of your stuff is in there, on my desk chair." Kagome instructed.

"Fine. You go entertain those two while I go change." I replied, and started to turn away, but Kagome grabbed my hand. I turned back, and was surprised to be met with her lips, in a soft kiss. I closed my eyes and kissed her back, just as soft as she.

When she pulled back, I was reluctant for it to be over. "We'll finish this later." she promised again, and pecked my lips once more. "Dogboy."

I snorted and she laughed as I turned and headed swiftly for her room. I leapt onto the roof and slid her window open easily, and once within, shed my clothes quickly and changed into the t-shirt and jeans laying on the chair for me. I popped the cap on and straightened my hair down a little, since it was mussed up from the great sex I'd just had and from last night.

"Inuyasha!" I heard Kagome call from downstairs. "Hurry up!"

I let out a breath and headed down the steps, toward the livingroom, where Miroku and Sango were seated with Kagome, all with cups of tea. Kagome's face was tinted a little red, as was Sango's, but Miroku had a smug look on his face, as if he'd just won the lottery. I felt my face burn as he glanced at me and offered me a wolfish grin, obviously knowing what we'd been up to.

"Ugh . . ." I flopped down across from Miroku and Sango, taking care not to sit next to Kagome, for fear that it would only double my embarrassment. Hell, she wasn't even that close to me and I was already humiliated.

"Now now, no need for modesty, Inuyasha." Miroku chided calmly. "Though, I wish you would have come to me first for advice. I know it was both of your first times-"

Sango reached over and yanked sharply on his ear, glaring at her delinquent boyfriend. "That's enough, Miroku. Leave them alone. What they do is their own business." But apparently Sango couldn't resist either, for she snickered a little and added, "Even if that means each other."

"Oh c'mon! What's a guy gotta do to have some privacy around here?" I demanded, frustrated and mortified as Miroku and Sango burst into very immature giggles.

"They act as if they've never witnessed sex before." Kagome added irritably. "Oh please, Sango. Do you even _want_ me to get into how many times I've walked in on you and Miroku? You two are ten times kinkier than Inuyasha and me."

That shut Sango up with a blush, but it only served to make Miroku puff with pride. "Why yes, yes we are." he said proudly, and let out a grunt as Sango smacked him upside the head.

"I think it's best if I pretend I didn't overhear any of that conversation." Mrs. Higurashi came into the room, carrying a cup of tea, which she handed to me. Kagome and I exchanged horrified glances.

"Wait, mom, it's not what you think-" Kagome began, and I could hear her heart racing. This was bad. Very bad. I put a hand over my face, sure Mrs. Higurashi was going to pummel me to a pathetic pulp of demon.

"Well, it's not as if I wasn't ever a young woman, Kagome." Her mother said very calmly. "And besides, I knew it was going to happen eventually. I just didn't think so soon. But I'm glad you waited for someone better than that Koga or that Hojo boy you've told me about. If you need contraceptive products-"

"Mom, please, just . . ." Kagome held her hands out, and her face was so red she could have easily been mistaken for a tomato. Something about the situation was amusing, and as Miroku caught my eye, he began to snicker, and soon it caught, and I found myself snickering as well, even though I was happy Mrs. Higurashi hadn't shot me yet.

Kagome whirled on me. "What's so funny!" she demanded.

"I really don't see what's so amusing, considering I should be a little bit more stern about it." Mrs. Higurashi commented, and I instantly shut my mouth, though Miroku continued giggling like a moron. I refused to look at him, or I would find that same urge again.

"Let's just drop the topic, ok? If I need anything, I'll let you know." Kagome said in an embarrassed mutter, refusing to look at any of us. I couldn't help it. I started giggling again, along with Miroku. Sango just rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm sure getting you condoms will be no problem." Mrs. Higurashi smiled at Kagome, and then giggled a little herself. "My, I've never seen you so embarrassed before, Kagome. I'm not mad. Just . . . surprised. As long as you're being safe."

Kagome hid her face in her hands with a miserable moan. "Mom, just go away."

"Condoms?" I felt my ears twitch at the unfamiliar word, and realized I might have made a mistake when Miroku and Sango looked to me with confusion, as if shocked I didn't know what the term meant. "What are _you_ morons gawking at!"

"You're the moron!" Kagome cried, glaring at me. Mrs. Higurashi's eyebrows lifted and she finally left the room, but Kagome was beyond caring. "How could you sit there and _laugh_ about it, and in front of my _mom_? Were you trying to get killed?"

"She didn't seem mad to me." I said nonchalantly, sipping my tea. "And if she hasn't ripped my head off yet, she ain't gonna."

"I'm still stuck on something else. You don't know what a condom is?" Sango demanded, and Kagome's head shot up, and her eyes were wide.

"Of course he does!" Kagome slapped her hands over my mouth before I could answer, laughing nervously. It was so fake a two year old could have seen through it. "He only said that because he was surprised she brought it up and wasn't killing him."

Sango and Miroku, unfortunately, didn't look convinced. "They're not stupid." I muttered behind Kagome's hand. She shot me a look.

"You can't tell me you've never heard of a condom before. Just how sheltered did your parents keep you?" Miroku asked, sounding shocked.

"They didn't. They're dead." I replied, my voice flat.

Miroku had the grace to look guilty. "My apologies. I suppose that would explain why you don't know."

"Uh-huh." I agreed, uncomfortable, and quite sure it wasn't going to be long before Sango and Miroku found out. Sango was eying me suspiciously, and I tensed as her eyes lifted up to my hat.

"Say," She said suddenly, "why are you wearing that cap anyway? You're indoors."

"Yeah, so?" I gave her a look that said quite plainly I wasn't gonna be taking it off.

"He loves that cap. They're practically inseparable." Kagome laughed. "He wears it all the time."

"Oh, is that so?" Sango asked, a bit dryly. "Well, I think it's tacky. Why don't you just take it off?"

I tensed further, and hoped they wouldn't notice I was beginning to sweat. "Because I like it, that's why."  
Sango gave me a level look, and now I could see it had caught Miroku's attention, and he was looking at me suspiciously as well, though more curious than Sango looked. "Just take it off, Inuyasha." Sango said firmly.

"I said no, wench. I ain't takin' it off and that's final." I snapped back.

"Take it off!" Sango ordered, glaring at me.

"I said _no_! Get off my back!"

Sango stood up, and stomped over to me, and I held my hands up to fend her off if need be. Kagome stood up halfway as well, along with Miroku, obviously sensing impending disaster.

"Now now everyone, calm down-" Miroku started.

"You really shouldn't take off his hat, Sango. He gets _really_ mad." Kagome said hastily.

"Take it _off_!" Sango reached up, and I fended her off with my hands, as Miroku and Kagome jumped over to us as we struggled.

"Get offa me!"  
"Sango, perhaps it would be wise to leave the issue alone-" Miroku interjected with alarm, grabbing Sango's waist from behind and trying to pull her off me. Kagome slipped her arms around my waist and began tugging, but she wasn't nearly strong enough to even budge me, so I ignored her as I fought Sango's grabbing hands away.

"He's going to take that damned hat off if I have to take it off myself! He's hiding something! I know it!" Sango said determinedly, and she didn't know how close to the mark she was.

"C'mon, can't we just sit down and relax?" Kagome pleaded.

"I said get _off_ me!" I smacked Sango's hands away, and Kagome finally got fed up with it.

"Inuyasha, SIT!" Kagome ordered.

My face smacked into the floor, and it was a stroke of luck that my hat stayed glued to my head. Sango stared at me for a moment, and unfortunately, Kagome's action to save my identity served to be my downfall, for Sango took advantage of my predicament to reach down and snatch my hat off.

Kagome dived down on top of me, covering my ears with her hands, stuffing my face into her chest. I felt a bright blush burn my face, and she was pressing my ears rather painfully flat to the top of my head to hide them, but since her breasts were currently suffocating me, at least I could die happily.

"I _know_ you're hiding something!" Sango tossed my hat aside. "Kagome, let him go and let me see!"  
Miroku made no moves to restrain Sango, because now he knew his girlfriend was right. "She's right, Kagome. We're your best friends. Are you really going to hide it from us?"

"He has a uh- condition! He has to wear the hat! He's just embarrassed to take it off!" Kagome protested lamely.

"I'm not buying it. Kagome, if you don't show us right now-" Sango threatened.

"It's not my secret to show!" Kagome cried, as Sango bent down and tried to pry her hands away.

Mrs. Higurashi had apparently heard all the noise by now, for she poked her head into the room. When she saw what was going on, she sighed and shook her head. "Kagome, let them see." She said softly. "There's no use hiding it any longer. They should know."

Kagome glanced up hesitantly up at her mother, before her hands reluctantly let go of my ears, and she gently pushed me back. I sat up, smoothed down my hair, and looked up at Sango and Miroku, who were looking down at me with expressions of confusion.

"So . . . your ears were real?" Sango questioned.

I looked away. "Yeah. What of it?"

"And these as well." Miroku crouched down, grabbing my hand and examining my claws, and then looking at the fangs past my parted lips. "I see. I thought I had seen your ears move on their own at the festival, but I dismissed it." Miroku shook his head, and then chuckled. "Well well, to think . . . Inuyasha, what manner of creature are you?"

"I'm a half demon." I replied, a bit foully. I was more than a little annoyed they had found out, but it was more due to the fact that Sango was looking at me a little mistrustfully, and I knew that look. I recognized it right away, and it stung my heart. I was used to rejection and mistrust. But I hadn't thought Sango and Miroku would be that way.

But then, the expression slowly slipped from Sango's face, and she smiled down at me. "Well, you're still Inuyasha, so . . . I guess there's nothing to worry about. But . . . if you're a half demon . . . how did you even get here? Are there others? Like you, I mean?"

I was surprised she had decided to trust me. "Well . . . yeah. But . . . not here, in your world. There are in my world."

Miroku and Sango looked at me blankly, so I sighed and moved to explain. "I'm not from this world. Well, this era, anyway. I came here through the Bone Eater's well in Kagome's shrine."

"He's from the warring states era, back in Feudal Japan. Somewhere around the year of 1426." Kagome explained. "So . . . that's why a lot of modern things he doesn't understand. Like . . . condoms."

"Ahh. Fascinating. So, what manner of demon are you?" Miroku was still crouched in front of me, looking at me with curiosity.

"A dog demon." I replied, something strange racing through my heart. Of course Miroku and Sango had accepted me in the past, but to think that I was lucky enough that they would accept me here in the future, as well . . . it was beyond me. But I wasn't ungrateful. I was touched, though I would never admit that.

"But wait. There has to be a reason that you're here, in this world." Sango interrupted. "Why are you here?"

Kagome suddenly laughed. "It's sort of a funny story, how Inuyasha and I met. See, he was originally sent here to kill me . . . and take my locket." Kagome reached up, touching the golden heart between her breasts. "Though, he hasn't told me why yet."

I flushed uncomfortably as Sango and Miroku looked at me with bewildered expressions. "Look, I'm not gonna kill her, all right?" I said irritably when their stares got to me. "I was sent here to get the locket and kill her, but I got new orders. So I'm not gonna do anything to hurt her."

"You never told me that." Kagome replied, looking surprised. "I was still wondering whether or not you were actually going to kill me."

"Well I'm not, ok? So . . . let's just drop it." I snapped, and Mrs. Higurashi just shook her head and disappeared from the room.

"You were under orders? From who? Who could possibly know of Kagome's existance and want to kill her, if they were in the past with you?" Miroku mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"It doesn't matter." I said immediately.

"So you're still hiding things." Sango confirmed, looking at me disapprovingly. "How do we know you aren't lying and you aren't still here to kill Kagome?"

"Because I've had plenty of opportunities if I was going to." I snapped. "I wouldn't ever hurt her." I admitted, after a moment. _At least not intentionally . . ._

"Dont be that way, Sango." Kagome chided gently. "I believe Inuyasha. The first time we met, he didn't want to kill me. He admitted that, and he even hesitated, because he didn't want to. If he was going to kill me, he would have done it a long time ago. I trust him." Kagome looked at me, and I felt my gaze soften as I held her eyes, and my heart did the little flutter that I was beginning to get used to, whenever Kagome was around.

"Kagome . . ." I said softly, and I knew she could see, through my eyes, that I was grateful for her words. She just smiled back.

"Well, if you trust him, then we have no right to question your judgment. You're an excellent judge of character, after all." Miroku replied, and grinned at me. Sango looked a little reluctant, but then she relaxed and added, "Well, I'm with Miroku and Kagome. If you wanted to kill Kagome you would have already. Besides . . . I think you like her too much to do something like that, anyway."

I blushed. That was true, though I would die before I came out and said it. "Tch. What do you know of it?"

Sango ignored me. "All right, so what about the locket? Why does . . . whoever . . . want it?"

"I don't even know that. But he doesn't want it anymore." I lied, to get them to drop it. "He . . . found something else he wanted."

"Oh, thank goodness." Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.

"So if that's true, technically speaking, you have no purposes for remaining here, in this world." Miroku pointed out. "So why do you stay, Inuyasha?"

This seemed to catch Kagome's interest, along with Sango's. I felt a little trapped. I had no idea what to say. I did have a reason for being here, but since I'd lied, I couldn't tell them the reason. "I . . . I don't know." I said finally, looking away.

Miroku's expression became sly. "Does it have to do with a certain someone we know?" he nodded his head toward Kagome, who blushed.

I flushed with embarrassment. "Keh! As if! That's the last reason I'm here!" I looked away, but not before I caught the glare Kagome sent me.

"Oh really? So tell me, what's your reason for staying? 'Cause I certainly don't see you chatting up any other girls!" Kagome pointed out angrily.

"Oh, he's just being pigheaded." Sango said before I could reply. "He's here because of you, Kagome. He just won't admit it." I glared at her, little annoyance, and she glared back.

""Hmph." Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, looking quite miffed as she glared at the floor.

"Geez." I muttered, looking in the opposite direction. "What's a guy gotta do to get a break around here?"

"Don't be ashamed to admit something romantic, Inuyasha." Miroku chided. "It will certainly give you points for nice rewards later on." He winked at me, and Sango gave him a dark look, which he innocently ignored.

"Don't corrupt him with your lecherous ways!" Sango elbowed her boyfriend. "He's from an era where it's a lot more modest! And we don't need _you_ making him like every other pigheaded male in our world!"  
"Just a little joke." Miroku sighed, rubbing the sore spot in his ribs.

There was a moment of silence, and I thought back to something Mrs. Higurashi had said. My ears lowering a little, I decided I would ask. "So . . . what's a condom?"

Kagome groaned.

"Inuyasha? What are you doing out here?"

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Sango approaching me. I was outside, seated indian style on Kagome's roof under the moon, and Kagome and Miroku were inside, playing 'poker'. I had gotten frustrated with being unable to understand the game and excused myself to have some fresh air and quiet.

Sango slid down carefully, until she was seated beside me. "So you're from another era . . . I still can't wrap my head around it. It seems like a fairytale, But I guess it does make sense. There were little things about you that seemed strange . . . The long nails, the sharp teeth, your eyes, your hair, the way you talk and act, and then, the fact that you aren't even eighteen and your parents are dead, and yet, Kagome never speaks of where you live. I'm surprised I didn't put it together earlier."

"Hmph, well, you don't have all the answers." Was my reply, as I looked back up at the moon. "Was there somethin' you wanted?"

"Well, I was actually going to tell you something. I feel like I've seen you before. You're so familiar, and yet . . . I can't exactly place my finger on it. I don't know what it is, but . . ." Sango trailed off.

"I guess what you're wantin' is for me to explain that?" I asked, and she nodded. "How do you even know that I can?"

Sango looked embarrassed. "Well, I don't . . . But I was hoping you would understand it. I mean, even Miroku said you looked very familiar. So how is that?"  
I sighed. "It's because I already know both of you. From back in my era. You and Miroku are reincarnations of your past selves. Back in my time, you two are already my friends. So when I came to this world . . . and I met the two of you . . . I instantly knew who you were. Not just because you look like my versions from the past, but because you act exactly like them, and a deeper level of you recognized me."

"That's amazing." Sango rmurmured. "So we're already friends, huh? I guess friendships transcend time."

I was taken off guard by that statement. Kagome had said that to me once before. After a moment, I smiled a little. "Yeah, I guess they do."

**Aww, so friendships really DO last forever. I guess I wanted to through in a little moment for Inuyasha and Sango, because you don't see many of those, and those two are always at each other's throat. I guess I wanted to show that they are still friends, despite getting on each other's nerves.**

**So, please review? :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow, I got a HUGE response to the last chapter! Thanks everyone who decided to make me happy by reviewing! If we can just keep it up, I'll really appreciate it. Unfortunately, there are only a few chapters left.**

**Oh, side note. For those of you that I told there would be an update, I apologize. I meant to say that there would be an update TODAY, not yesterday. So I'm sorry for that mixup. That was my fault. But, there IS an update today.**

**Also, I haven't posted one of these yet, so I apologize. Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha or any of the other material associated with Rumiko Takahashi. I just like to play with her characters. **

Chapter seven

I woke up the next morning to find myself alone in Kagome's room, Sango and Miroku gone. All four of us had fallen asleep, but apparently those three had left for school, leaving me all alone. I was more than a little surprised Kagome hadn't woken me up, but I guessed it was because she was still mad at me for the little comment I'd made the previous day for denying she was the reason I was still here, in this era. She technically was the reason, but she wasn't the only one. I felt a rush of aggravation. Did she always have to get so testy about the little things? It was just women in general. Ugh.

I stood up and stretched, before I decided I would go take a bath to pass the time. Kagome's locket was nowhere around, so I knew she had taken it with her, as usual. I slipped down to the bathing rooms and bathed quickly, even using that strange 'shampoo', and dried my hair with a towel to the best of my ability.

Once I was out and dressed in clean clothes, I wandered about the house, discovering grandpa was outside, cleaning up the shrine as usual, Sota was at school, and Mrs. Higurashi was in the kitchen, washing dishes from breakfast. When I entered the kitchen, she looked up and smiled at me.

"Oh hello there and good morning. Kagome said you were out like a light, so she didn't want to wake you up. I set some breakfast aside for you." She pointed to the table, where there was a plate laden with food.

"Oh, thanks." I said down and began to pick up it with my fork, but there was something eating at me. "Listen, about yesterday . . ." I started, embarrassed and unsure of what I wanted to say or how.

"Oh, it's water under the bridge." Mrs. Higurashi waved her hand dismissively. "I already told you I wasn't mad about it. So don't worry. As long as you two are safe and use protection, I'm fine with it. And as long as you plan to take care of my little girl." she added.

I flushed at the term 'protection'. Kagome, Miroku and Sango had explained to me what a 'condom' was the day before, so I was now familiar with the term. "Well, er . . . thanks, then. I didn't really plan for it to happen, it just . . . did."

"Well, sometimes those things are unplanned." Mrs. Higurashi said wisely. "And like I said, I was a young woman once. I know what it's like to be alone with a handsome young man." she winked at me and I blushed.

"Yeah . . . listen, I need to ask ya somethin'."

"Ask away." Mrs. Higurashi turned her back to me, resuming washing the dishes.

"Well, it's about Kagome's locket. I want to know where she got it in the first place." I said. It had never been explained to me, and I wanted to know.

"Well, when Kagome was born, and they took her to the nursery to let her sleep, she didn't have the locket. But when I came to get her afterwards . . . it was around her neck. I'm not sure how it got there." Mrs. Higurashi admitted. "I just assumed one of the nurses had given it to her. It was so pretty, and it just seemed to suit her. So I decided it would be her good luck charm, and let her keep it. And she's had it ever since."

_Kikyo took that locket with her when she died. It was burned with her body. So how did it fall into Kagome's hands, five hundred years in the future?_ I thought, looking down at my food. _Is there a connection between Kagome and Kikyo that Naraku hasn't explained? Something is strange, but . . . Naraku's got all the answers, and it's not gonna be explained until I finish doing his dirty work for him. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing for now._

"You know, you don't smile nearly enough." Mrs. Higurashi commented, pausing in her work and turning to face me, a gentle smile on her own pretty face. "You're always so moody. But let me tell you. Kagome has never been brighter before. Ever since she met you . . . she's blossomed into something, someone beautiful . . . I don't think she'll ever be like this again, if you left. Mothers just notice these things."

I blushed a little. _Am I really having that much of an effect on Kagome? _

"And you look at her in a way that I don't see you look at anyone else. The two of you are falling in love, and I can tell." Mrs. Higurashi continued. "Just promise me something . . ."

"What?" I asked carefully.

"Don't break her heart. Because she's giving it to you." Mrs. Higurashi said softly.

I looked down at my food guilty as Kagome's mother turned back around, resuming her work. _Are you going to hate me when I have to break her heart?_

"I'm home!" Kagome's voice rang throughout the house, and I could hear Sota's own excited voice as he ran to chatter away happily to his mom about something or other. I was up in Kagome's room, seated on her window sill, looking outside. I had been pretty bored without Kagome around, much to my annoyance. It was starting to aggravate me, the fact that I felt I needed to be around her. Mrs. Higurashi seemed to be right. Whether I wanted to or not, I was starting to develop deep feelings for Kagome, which went far past simply liking her.

"Mom, where's Inuyasha?" I heard Kagome ask.

"Oh, he's up in your room, dear. He seemed rather quiet today." Came her mother's thoughtful reply.

"Well, that's a first." Kagome replied dryly, and my eye twitched. I pretended I hadn't heard it, when she opened her room door and entered, wearing that scandalous school uniform that showed off how long and shapely her legs really were. I forced myself not to look.

"Well. You look awfully sentimental over there." Kagome moved over to me, lifting an eyebrow. "Don't think just because you look philosophical that I'm going to forgive you for what you said yesterday."

I didn't even spare her a glance. "Tch. You're still holdin' a grudge?"

"Well, who wouldn't?" she asked indignantly. "Considering how it wouldn't kill you to give me a compliment once in a while. Sheesh."

"Hmph. Just drop it, wench." I muttered.

"Back to the nicknames, eh? Well, _dogboy_, my name isn't wench, it's Kagome. Ka-go-me. I thought we were actually making progress." Kagome sighed, and sat down on the window sill beside me.

"I thought you were mad."

"I am. I'm furious." she replied, as she had once before, though this time, she didn't lean on my shoulder. "Mom said you were quiet today. So what's on your mind?"

"As if I'd tell you anyway. Nothin' important." I glanced up at the setting sun.

Kagome glared at me. "Can't you trust me by now?"

"I don't know, _can I_?"

Kagome ignored that. "Ugh, look, I got something for us today." Blushing a little, she slipped off her yellow backpack and rummaged around in it, before she pulled a box out to show me. "These are condoms."

I flushed. "What, do you think we're gonna be rumping all the time now or somethin' ?"  
Kagome blushed deeper and glared at me. "Of course not! Don't be ridiculous! It's just, you know . . . in case . . ."

"In case you try to rape me?"

Kagome glared again. "It's more like the other way around."

"Yesterday morning was hardly the other way around. You forced yourself on me." I replied with a snort.

"_Forced_ myself!" Kagome clenched her fists. "Why you-"

I looked at her with a vicious grin. "What, did I touch a nerve? Huh, Ka-go-me?"  
"Ooh, you are so-!" Kagome reared her hand back to slap me no doubt, but my reflexes were faster, so I reached up and caught her wrist, staring her down, as she was staring me down.

"Let go of me right now, you jerk!" She ordered, her expression furious. Her blue eyes were a blazing sapphire, and her face was flushed with anger. I looked at her a moment, and bizarrely, something about her looking at me with such anger was . . . attractive. Her chest was heaving and the blush on her face was rather pretty, and her lips were parted.

The demon side of me rumbled with approval, and I felt an intense surge of desire for her. It was like all the other times. I just couldn't help myself, not when it came to Kagome. She got to me in a way that no other person did. I used her wrist to pull her forward, until she was against me, and as she gasped in surprise, I leaned forward and kissed her.

Kagome held still for a moment, surprised, and I was caught off guard when she reared her hand back and slapped me anyway. I pulled back, putting a clawed hand up to my stinging cheek, and I glared at her. She was looking at me furiously. "What the hell was that for?" I demanded, now pissed off.

"You're such an idiot! You can't kiss a girl when she's mad at you! You're so insensitive!" Kagome slid off the window sill and stomped away from me, beginning to angrily unbutton her shirt, obviously to change into more comfortable clothes, and obviously NOT to engage in the acts I had in mind. I felt a rush of frustration.

"Well I hope you weren't wantin' an apology, 'cause I ain't gonna give ya one!" I snapped, pride lacing my tone. I would NOT apologize to her. Definitely not since she'd hit me. It wasn't gonna happen. Not if I had to die first.

"Fine! I didn't want one anyway!" Kagome cried back, but I knew it was the complete opposite. I didn't dare look at her as she changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, because I really didn't want to get swatted again.

"Hmph!" Kagome flopped down at her desk with her yellow backpack, pulling out textbooks and beginning to work on that stuff called 'homework'. I glared over at her, but as the time ticked by, and she continued to ignore me, I felt my glare vanish, and I felt my ears lower. How long was she going to be mad at me? It was starting to bother me. Maybe I should apologize . . .

No! NO. I was not going to apologize. Not after she hit me like that. Even if kissing her had been a little bit of a jerkish move . . .

Ugh. What _was_ I? A man? Or a wuss? I glared out the window, determined not to let her get to me. Time continued to tick by, and Kagome's mother called for us to come down and eat dinner. I had never been more grateful.

But dinner was no better. As we sat there, eating, Kagome was eating stiffly, in silence, and I could feel and smell the anger coming off of her. It made me shrink back in fear, along with Sota and Grandpa. Even her mother did not dare speak a word that would set Kagome off. I knew Kagome's temper by now, and I knew when she had it, I would pay for it with the beads of subjugation around my neck. I was surprised I hadn't gotten 'sat' yet.

When we returned to her room, Kagome resumed her homework, and did not say a single word to me. I was beginning to feel guilty for my actions, and the longer she ignored me, the more it ate away at me, until I was actually considering opening my mouth and apologizing. But . . . my pride really was being stubborn, and I just couldn't.

I was surprised when Kagome stood up, closed her textbooks, and walked over to her bed before laying down, all in stiff, tense movements. She clicked off her lamp, and just like that, she was going to bed, acting as if I wasn't there, seated at her window sill. My ears flattened to my skull, and I wondered how long she was going to keep this charade up.

"Inuyasha." Kagome said suddenly, and I winced at her sharp tone.

"What is it?" I asked cautiously.

She let out a sigh, and lost her sharp tone. "Why don't you just apologize already? You've been staring holes through my head for hours now."

"Tch. As if. I'm not apologizing to _you_." I said proudly, turning my nose up at her.

"Inuyasha, quit being an ass." Kagome said simply, and I sulked a bit.

I let out a huff. "I'm . . . s . . ." _Damn, this is harder than I thought_. "Ok, I'm sorry."

"There. Now that that's done, why don't you come share this bed with me?"

I felt a rush of surprise. "Share? But-"  
"Just get over here."

Instead of risking her being mad at me, I grumbled and obeyed, sliding under the covers beside her, though I didn't risk touching her. I was afraid of getting slapped like before.

"You don't have to be a piece of rawhide." Kagome commented lightly, and I felt my breath quicken when she slipped her arms around me and pressed her soft, warm body against mine. "There. That's better."

I slid my arms around her when I realized it was ok, and laid my cheek against her hair, breathing in her sweet scent. I had missed this, just being close to her, for the past two days. "So you're sure you're not mad anymore?"  
"It wasn't as if I didn't like the kiss." Kagome replied matter-of-factly. "It was just wrong timing."

We were both silent for a moment, simply enjoying the other's company, when Kagome broke the silence. "So . . . did you really mean what you said yesterday? That I'm not the reason you're coming back?" she asked, in a tiny, sad voice.

I felt a rush of guilt, that only Kagome could make me feel. "I . . . lied." I admitted painfully.

I felt Kagome's lips upturn in a smile against my neck. "I thought so." she said softly.

"Yeah, well, don't think it means anythin'." I said lamely, and blushed when Kagome lifted up, and kissed me fully on the mouth, her hands sliding around my neck.

"Where did that come from?" I asked, when she finally pulled back. Her taste was sweet as ever, and I knew, somehow, I wouldn't ever get tired of kissing her or having her, for that matter.

"Payback for earlier. If I hadn't been mad at you, it would have continued." Kagome admitted. "So, do you . . . want to . . ." She slid her hands down shyly, and my breath caught as her fingertips brushed my hips, and then down, lower . . .

"What if someone hears us?" I asked. "You're not exactly quiet."

"You aren't either." She retorted, even as she gripped the hem of my shirt and lifted it up, pulling it off me and tossing it to the floor.

I flushed. "Tch. You scream. A lot. Not that I'm complainin', but . . . I don't think your mom would be so ok with it if she actually heard you . . ."

"Why? Do I sound stupid?" Kagome asked worriedly, continuing to undress me as she unbuttoned my pants.

"I don't think your mother could handle how sexy you sound." I admitted, and Kagome smiled at me as she leaned forward and kissed me, sliding my pants down my hips. I kicked them off, and then decided it was time we were even.

I tugged her shirt off, seeing she was wearing another one of those 'bras' that just got in the way. I let out a growl of frustration, and decided I would just take everything else off for now. I slid her sweatpants off, and let out a quiet groan when Kagome wrapped her legs around my waist and pressed my swiftly growing erection right between her thighs. The only things in the way were my undergarments and hers.

"Excited?" Kagome teased, pulling back and kissing my neck, stroking her warm, soft fingertips all down my front, brushing my erection and making me shiver.

"If you keep teasing me, I'm going to make sure you can't walk tomorrow." I threatened, and I meant it.

Kagome laughed softly, slowly rocking her hips against mine, letting me feel she was already wet and warm. I gripped her hips to keep them still, because I was going to lose control if she kept it up. "You're such a little vixen." I growled at her, kissing her hungrily and letting my hands roam down her back and cup her lovely bottom.

"I can't help it when I'm around you." She admitted. "You're just so- Agh, don't tease." She shut her eyes tight as I rocked my hips up.

"See how it feels?" I breathed in the scent of her neck, my head whirling by the sweet, musky scent of her arousal. "I love how you smell."

Kagome blushed. "I like how you smell too." she admitted shyly, nuzzling my neck as I brushed soft kisses down her collarbone and toward her breasts.

"Hmph, you're never this shy." I commented, as Kagome blushed even further as I reached around to her back and fumbled with the hooks to her bra. Ugh. They were so annoying. I was beginning to consider forbidding her to wear one.

"I don't know why I am." Kagome replied. "I just . . . When you're like this . . . and you're looking at me . . . it makes me embarrassed." As if for emphasis, she blushed as I triumphantly unhooked her bra and pulled it away, gazing at her naked breasts.

"But why?" I asked, confused. "We've already done all this."

"Well . . . we never went this slow before. Or really . . . talked this much, through it." Kagome replied. "So, I guess . . . you're taking your time, and you're really _looking_ at me now . . . I'm just being self conscious."

That one really stumped me. "There's no reason for you to be. I've got more reason to be self conscious than you do."

Kagome stared at me. "Inuyasha, you are the most gorgeous man I've ever met in my life. And you have the sexiest body I've ever seen. There is _nothing_for you to be embarrassed about. Ever."

I blushed. "But I'm a half demon. I have dog ears, fangs, and claws."

"All of those things are cute and sexy." Kagome said immediately. She reached up, and rubbed one of my ears, and I closed my eyes in contentment, feeling a throb go through my erection.

"Stop that." I waved her hand off. "That's teasing too."

Kagome giggled. "Your ears are hot spots?"

"Laugh it up. I'll make you regret it." I promised, as I leaned down and licked her nipple, loving the way she gasped and loving her sweet salty taste. "Besides . . . your body is . . . pretty." I said, blushing a little. I wasn't good with compliments. Never had been good with words at all.

Kagome blushed and giggled again. "Pretty?"

"Beautiful." I corrected, knowing it was a better word. Pretty wasn't enough to describe what she was. I reached up and tenderly cupped her breast, loving the way it molded to fit the palm of my hand, warm and soft. I squeezed gently and Kagome kissed me, and we kissed languidly, because we had all the time in the world right now. We didn't have to rush.

Kagome pulled back from the kiss and held my eyes seriously, reaching up with her hand and cupping my cheek. "Inuyasha?" she said softly.

"What is it?" My heart was pounding strangely from the way she was looking at me, and I had never felt so close to a woman before. Even Kikyo, though I had loved her, still loved her, to a certain degree . . . I felt there was intimacy between me and Kagome, an intimacy that had nothing to do with being physical.

"I . . . like you. A lot. I mean, a _lot_." Kagome confessed. "And . . . we haven't made anything official, but . . . I want to. I want to be with you. Will you . . . be my boyfriend?"

I was caught off guard. "You're asking me? Kagome, I should be askin' you . . ."

"Is that a no?" Her expression fell.

"No, of course not." I said hastily, tilting her chin up so she had to look at me. "It's a yes, but . . . I wish you would have let me ask you."

"Let's just pretend you did." Kagome said, kissing me happily.

I smiled at her as we kissed, and in that moment, nothing mattered to me. Not Naraku, not Kikyo, not anything. The only thing that mattered was Kagome. I . . . cared about her, more than anything else in my life, in that moment. Definitely more than myself. I wanted to protect her, and I wanted to be by her side. It was a shocking thing to realize.

I pulled back from the kiss, and her expression was serious, as mine was, as I pulled her underwear down and she pulled mine down in return. She slid her thighs around her waist and our gaze never wavered as I positioned myself and then gently slid inside her.

I didn't say a word, and neither did she, as I began to move my hips slowly. I made my moves gentle, sensual, and loving, because though I couldn't convey what I was feeling to her through words, I wanted to show her with my actions. Kagome moved with me as I leaned over her, laying on her back, and rested her hands on my shoulders, never once breaking her gaze from mine.

This time was different than the other times. Because this time, it was more than just pure lust fueling my actions. It had been more than that before, but there was so much more feeling this time. And I knew that I was really, truly making love to her. There weren't loud gasps and moans, but soft sighs and sweet, whispered words as we rocked together, and her lips were soft as she kissed me, her fingers gentle as they stroked up and down my back.

When Kagome climaxed, I never once looked away from her face, the way her lips parted and her eyes closed and she moaned my name, because it was beautiful, just like the rest of her. I came a moment later, sighing, "Kagome . . ." and holding her tightly against me, gently kissing her mouth.

Kagome stroked her fingers up and down my arm once it was over, and I continued to hold her. We were quiet, but neither of us needed to say anything. I knew, in my heart, that even though I may not be in love with her yet, I was getting closer and closer and it was going to happen, at some point in time. And that same would happen for her. I had a connection with Kagome that was indescribable, and that couldn't be broken. I felt more bonded to Kagome than anyone ever in my life.

Long after Kagome had fallen asleep, I found myself gazing down at the locket between her breasts. _This locket is what brought us together . . . I wonder . . . will it be what tears us apart? _

I knew it was early when I woke up, because cool, damp air was misting inside from Kagome's open window. I stood up and closed it, careful not to disturb Kagome in her sleep, and once the window was shut, I slid back into the bed with her and slid my arms around her from behind, pulling her against my body. Her scent was still sweet, despite our activities last night, but that was probably due to the fact that we hadn't gotten all riled up.

"Kagome . . ." I sighed, running my claws through her soft black waves, reveling in the texture. It felt good, to hold a woman in my arms, especially the woman I desired more than anyone else.

_Kikyo was never like this. She would have never allowed me these liberties. Kagome is more . . . free. But Kagome never had to go though the rigorous training that Kikyo did to become a priestess. Kagome doesn't know hardships and pain . . . but I'm glad for that. I don't want her to be like Kikyo._

When that thought passed through my mind, my eyes widened, and I was shocked. _What am I thinking? Since when would I ever think something bad about Kikyo? I love Kikyo; that's why I'm doing this, to save her soul, but . . . I . . . I want Kagome to be Kagome. I don't ever want her to be like Kikyo, because . . . I can't love Kikyo the way that I can Kagome if Kagome stays like this . . . I mean, I'm not in love with Kagome, but . . . I mean . . ._ It was all too frustrating. I had originally intended to do this without getting emotionally involved, but, somewhere along the way, it had happened. I felt defenseless to Kagome.

I glanced at Kagome's clock on her nightstand, seeing it was about six in the morning. She would be waking up soon to get ready for her school. I sighed. For once, I wanted her to just stay here, and lay here with me. I wasn't ready for our time together to be put on hold yet.

I brushed her hair gently away from her neck, and kissed her nape, feeling how soft and smooth her skin was. And she was so warm. I ran my fingertips, being mindful of my claws, down her shoulder, and then her arm, memorizing her body fondly. "Kagome . . ." I whispered in her ear, hoping she would wake up, but at the same time, hoping she wouldn't. She might be mad if I woke her up. And then it would ruin the moment.

"Inu . . . yasha . . ." Kagome mumbled in her sleep, and I felt my eyes widen.

"This is the second time." I murmured, recalling. "She's dreaming about me again."

Kagome yawned and shifted, and I knew she was now awake, probably due to all of my touching and muttering. I winced as she came to, knowing I was probably going to get 'sat'.

"Inuyasha?" She mumbled sleepily. "Are you awake?" She turned her head slightly, trying to look at me behind her.

"Wide awake." I replied. "I didn't mean to wake you up. Go back to sleep."

"Don't want to now. The real you is better than a dream you." Kagome said sweetly, and I allowed myself a little smile as I kissed the back of her neck. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not too long." It didn't escape my attention that she was nude, and I resolved that I would very much like to wake up with her in my arms and naked very often. I tried to resist growing aroused, but it didn't really happen, considering she was warm and her bottom was rounded and lovely, and currently pressed against me.

"Geez . . ." I groaned. "Am I ever going to get tired of having you?" I wondered aloud, as I slid my hands to her waist and pulled her tighter against me.

Kagome shivered a little. "I wonder the same thing. I hope you won't."

"It's impossible." I resolved, lacing kisses down the back of her neck and to her shoulder, my hands wandering along her body. Kagome moaned softly as I slid my hands over her breasts and stroked over them with my thumbs.

"Inuyasha . . ." she protested weakly. "I have to get up and get ready for school . . ." But her protests fell on deaf ears, as I parted her thighs and slid my erection between them, just barely pressing against her entrance, but not penetrating. I needed her to be more aroused first.

"Are you saying you don't want me?" I whispered in her ear, and as she shivered, I drew her earlobe into my mouth, sucking gently on it. I nipped lightly with my fangs, and she shivered again. I felt her growing wet, and knew it was working.

"I do . . . but . . ." Kagome trailed off as I sucked lightly on her neck, one of my arms sliding around her waist and pulling her up higher, so I was positioned to enter her, and the other running down her thigh, caressing her shapely leg.

"I want you." I murmured, and Kagome sucked in a breath as I reached down and began to massage that tiny, sensitive nub between her thighs. I increased the pressure and she gasped, her hips bucking into my hand. I smiled.

"I want you too." she breathed back, and gasped as I suddenly thrust inside her from behind, gripping her hips as I thrust hard inside her.

If she wasn't awake before, she was certainly awake now. "Inuyasha!" She gasped, but it was mainly in shock and delight, as I rolled her over until she was on her stomach, and I was laying against her.

"Get on your hands and knees." I murmured in her ear, and she did so eagerly, making it far more comfortable for me to take her.

I wasn't gentle with her, but I couldn't be, not when I was taking her in a position that was so natural, so instinctive, to the dog youkai side of me. I should have taken her this way to begin with, but I had been human at the time, and it would have hurt her. I was thrusting roughly up into her, taking her hard and fast, and Kagome couldn't manage anything but incoherent sounds. She could barely manage my name. I was panting too hard to make any sorts of noises, but it felt amazing. I had never realized that mating could be like this.

"Do you remember the festival?" I very gently cupped the front of her neck as I continued thrusting, pulling her head up, so I was talking into her ear. She managed a weak, feeble nod. "When that bastard Hojo asked you out? Right in front of me?" When she nodded again, I went on possessively. "When I saw him talking to you, I wanted to kill him. Because even then you were _mine_. And it's going to stay that way. I'm the only man that's ever been inside you and I will be the only man to _ever_ be inside you."  
"Inu-yasha-" Kagome stammered, excited and overwhelmed by my words and by the way I was taking her.

"You're _mine_, Kagome." I swore, and she gasped as I touched a new deepness inside her.

"Inu-Inu-ahn . . ." Kagome couldn't even finish my name as she came, and her arms trembled and gave out, but I managed to hold her against me to keep her from falling as she panted. I couldn't take it anymore, and it was too sexy, and I released inside her with a groan, before rolling onto my back and taking her with me.

"That . . . was hot." Kagome panted, as we laid there.

Even me, with as much stamina as I had, was out of breath. "Oh man . . ." was all I could manage.

"I don't think I'll be able to walk today." Kagome said, laughing weakly. I snorted with laughter, and she kissed my neck with a smile.

"What did I tell you? I told you yesterday if you kept teasing that's what would happen." I murmured as my heart-rate calmed some, and I stroked my fingers down her back.

"I have to get up and get ready now though." Kagome said back softly, though she didn't move.

"You can't stay?" I was disappointed. I would be content if we could just lay here all day. I didn't need sex. Just laying here would be fine with me.

"No, unfortunately." Kagome sighed and slid out of my arms, and I grumbled as she stood up and stretched, wincing a little as she took a few steps. "Inuyasha, I'm going to be waddling all day because of you!"

I couldn't help it. I laughed, and she shot me a glare, though she couldn't resist the twinge of amusement that lifted the corners of her mouth. "You're such a pig." she muttered, as I continued laughing, picking up her pillow and smacking me with it. I laughed weakly as I fended it off, because all I could picture in my mind was Kagome waddling around.

"No, I'm a half demon." I retorted, and earned myself a smack. I chortled as she rolled her eyes and tossed the pillow down.

"No, you're a _boy_." Kagome walked over to the bed and straddled my hips, smiling down at me, and I smiled a little up at her. I felt happy to the point that it was sickeningly sweet, but I didn't want to end that feeling. I had never felt this happy in my entire life, and it was Kagome who made me feel that way.

"Keh. And you're a _wench_." I retorted, but as she glared at me, I silenced.

"You know, you said before . . . that I was yours. But . . . you're mine too." Kagome said softly. She leaned down, gently pecking my lips, and when she pulled back, she smiled down at me. "Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?" I asked back, just as softly.

"I love you." She kissed me swiftly and stood up, grabbing her robe, and disappearing from the room before I had a chance to even blink.

I sat there for a minute, stunned. I wasn't even sure if I'd heard her right. But no, I couldn't have mistaken those three little words. They had made me feel . . . outstanding. My heart had throbbed sweetly at the utterance of those words, but . . . was Kagome sure of her feelings? Was she sure she loved me? Even though we hadn't been together for very long, we'd been through some stuff. And . . . time didn't transcend feelings. It was a wise saying Miroku had once told me, the Miroku from the past. He said he had loved Sango the minute he'd laid eyes on her and it had never changed. Did Kagome really love me?

It was an exciting thought, but it was terrifying. Love was . . . extreme. I had been through a lot when it came to love, and it certainly wasn't easy. Was I in love with Kagome as well?

I shook my head of those thoughts. I didn't have time to think about it. I needed to make sure she loved me. Needed to really make sure. Otherwise I would never know.

I remembered that Naraku said that once Kagome fell in love with me, the locket would distribute strange signs and behaviors. But how would I know that? Kagome was going to school. I had followed her to school once . . .

_So I can just follow her again. I can keep an eye on that locket and see if it acts up or anything._ I thought, and stood up, pulling on my clothes, determined not to think about Kagome's confession at the moment, because I didn't want to face my own feelings.

I waited until I heard Kagome bid her family good-bye before I slid her window open and crept out onto the roof with my cap on my head, so I could conceal myself. I'd also stuffed my hair up into the cap, so in case she saw me, she wouldn't be able to tell it was me unless she was up close.

Once Kagome was around the corner and heading down the sidewalk, I leapt into the tree tops and followed along after her, keeping a close watch on her slender yet curvy figure as she moved. She was humming to herself, and I could smell a new scent coming from her. It was still sweet and tangy, her own scent, but it was mixed with my own scent, which meant that I had inadvertently claimed her, in a sense. I hadn't given her the mating mark or anything like that, but my inner demon recognized the possessive nature I had over her, and had begun the process of claiming Kagome. I felt a bit guilty, but not too much, because I hadn't done it consciously. And judging by Kagome's words to me before she left, she probably wouldn't mind anyway.

On the way to school, Kagome's locket didn't distribute any strange behaviors, and I began to wonder whether or not she was really in love with me. Or if, perhaps, something had to be done to trigger the behaviors? There was no way I could understand it. So I settled into a tree and began to wait, as Kagome entered her school.

The day was boring as it passed by, and I dozed in the tree, waiting for Kagome's school day to be over, and ignoring the small rumbling of hunger in my stomach, since I'd had to skip breakfast and lunch. When the bell rang, I was grateful, and I waited until Kagome emerged from the building before I resumed spying.

Kagome emerged with Eri, Yuka and Ayumi, and the four girls were giggling and smiling as they walked down the sidewalk and headed into one of those 'restaurants' that Kagome had explained to me. The sign of it read 'Wacdonalds'. I settled on a bench outside the restaurant and sighed, beginning another long wait.

It seemed like forever before Kagome emerged, and when she did, I quickly ducked my head down as she and the other three girls passed by me without sparing a second glance. I looked up as they continued on their way, all four of them still all smiles. I grimaced and stood up, trekking stealthily after them.

Eri, Yuka and Ayumi parted ways with Kagome finally, and I trailed along behind her, surprised when she suddenly turned into one of those 'alleyways', her expression inscrutable. My brow furrowing, I moved after her, only to see she was standing at the end of it, completely still, her backpack on her shoulders.

"All right. I know you've been following me. So you can just cut it out." Kagome said.

I felt my heart skip a beat. I didn't say anything as she turned to face me, and I quickly looked down, letting the bill of the hat hide my face, and stuffing my hands in my pockets so she couldn't see my claws. Kagome took a step toward me.

"You've been following me since school let out. You know, the next time you want to stalk a girl, you might not want to be so obvious about it." Kagome said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest. But I could smell a small hint of fear. She was tensed, and I realized she didn't recognize me. She probably thought I was some wacko she'd have to apprehend.

"Well? Haven't you got anything to say for yourself? Maybe a reason why you were stalking me?" Kagome demanded, taking another step closer.

"I . . .wasn't stalking you." I said, enunciating my words very carefully, trying to disguise my normally rough, callous voice, trying to make it smooth.

"If that wasn't stalking then I wouldn't call it a walk in the park. You've been following me. You wouldn't have followed me through here if you weren't. So what do you want?" Kagome took another step toward me, and I tensed.

"I don't want anything."

"You're not very convincing, Mr. Bozo." Kagome crouched a little, trying to look at my face, but I ducked down even further so she couldn't see. "What are you trying to hide? Do I know you or something?"

"Of course not." I protested.

"Oh really?" Kagome narrowed her eyes at me, and stepped even closer, her sweet fragrance invading my senses and making me a little giddy. "Why can't I look at your face?"

"Because it's my face." It was childish, but it was the only argument I seemed to have.

"Don't be such a child. You're going to tell me why you've been following me or I'm going to report you to the police." Kagome threatened.

"Keh! That doesn't scare me."

When those words escaped my mouth, Kagome's eyes widened slightly and she settled back, her expression smoothing over. "Oh, it doesn't?" She moved so close her clothes brushed mine, and I turned my face away, so she couldn't look at me. "You know . . . I don't really mind you stalking me so much anymore . . . I think it's kind of sexy, actually . . . you being such a sexy, mysterious stranger, after all . . ." She laid her hands on my chest, and my heart was pounding. She would really betray me like this, and feel up a stranger? I felt a twinge of hurt and anger. How could she?

Kagome suddenly reached up and ripped off my hat, and I let out a sound of protest, my hands escaping my pockets and scrabbling to get it, but my white hair tumbled down my shoulders and my dog ears sprang free. "I knew it! I knew it was you!" Kagome declared. "Ugh! Inuyasha, why the hell are you following me?"  
I felt a rush of guilt for thinking she would betray me. Kagome would never do such a thing. It wasn't in her nature to cheat or deceive me. "I . . . well . . . just because, all right?" I demanded, embarrassed at being caught and angry at myself.

"That's not a reason! If you don't give me a reason right now I'll be really mad!"

"Because I was worried, ok?" I snapped, and Kagome's eyes widened for a moment, and then they filled with tears. I felt a rush of unease and said frantically, "What is it? What did I say?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome threw her arms around me, sniffling a little. "Oh, you're so sweet . . . but why were you worried? You know that I'm fine when I go to school."

"Because I worry about you all the time. I wanted to make sure for myself." I explained, as Kagome continued to embrace my neck tightly. I wrapped my arms around her too, unable to resist.

Kagome pulled back, and smiled up at me. "Sometimes I wonder how I fell in love with you, but at times like this, it's easy to see."

There is was, that confession again, and it made my heart throb, and my eyes softened on hers. I didn't say it back, because I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to be wrong and hurt her. I never wanted to hurt Kagome. She was . . . too special.

A moment after these words were uttered, a strange blue light came from Kagome's locket and I looked down with wide eyes as she did, seeing that the light was indeed coming from the necklace. "What . . .?" Kagome started, but didn't get to finish.

There was a bright flash of blue light, and I was thrown back from Kagome, and I hit the wall hard. I winced, but I was stronger than any human, so I barely felt it. I looked back to Kagome, just in time to see the blue light separate from her locket and float into the air, to take the shape of a giant light blue lizard. It was glowing, and its bright red eyes were greedy and thirsty for blood as it growled down at Kagome.

_This can't be the female demon. This is a male demon. And it's weak. Very weak. So what . . .?_ I didn't have time to finish this thought process, for the demon hissed and dived down, slashing its claws at Kagome. She cried out in pain, and I smelled fresh blood. My senses went wild.

In that moment, when I smelled her blood, instinct took over, and I had the fierce desire, the _need_, to protect her. Anger filled me, and I snarled, flexing my claws. I ran toward the lizard, and it whipped around, hissing at me. It dove in my direction and I jumped into the air, my claws clashing with his. We locked in the air for a moment, before we separated, and I went flying down to the ground in front of Kagome, who was holding her arm and shaking, her face pale, blood dripping between her fingers.

"Kagome, are you all right?" I demanded, and she shakily nodded. "I'm going to protect you." I vowed, and was caught off guard when the demon seized me from behind and tossed me aside effortlessly, causing me to slam once more into the alley wall.

I heard Kagome's cry as the demon seized her, and began to fly off with her, cackling in triumph, thinking it had won its meal for the night. "You . . . bastard." I snarled. I climbed to my feet and launched up, gripping the stones of the wall with my claws. I used this as leverage to tackle the demon in midair, slashing my claws across its throat, killing it instantly. It howled as it died, and loosened its grip on Kagome, who fell toward the ground.

"Kagome!" I shot down toward her as the body of the demon dissipated, and grabbed her in my arms, landing as gently as I could on the ground below. Kagome was looking up at me, her eyes scared, and the scent of her blood was strong.

"Kagome, are you ok?" My heart was pounding, and I couldn't look away from her. I was worried, by the scent of her blood, and by the scent of her fear. I didn't want her to be hurt. I wanted her to be ok.

"I'm . . . I think so." She nodded a little, though she was trembling slightly. "I've just . . . never seen a demon other than you. And it . . . it attacked me. I'm sorry. I wasn't much help at all."

"Don't you dare apologize to me." I said fiercely, angrily, holding her close to me, burying my face in her hair. "As long as you're all right . . ."

"You were that worried about me?" Kagome asked in wonder.

"How am I supposed to act?" I demanded. "You could have been killed."

"So could you."

"That doesn't matter. I need to get you home and take care of this. C'mon." I hooked my arm under her legs and lifted her up, before heading hastily back to her house.

Luckily, the damage to her arm was no more than a few long cuts, that were easily cleaned and bandaged. Kagome's mother was worried as I was, but I was the most worried, as I paced back and forth frantically as Kagome's mother bandaged her daughter's wounds. Sota and Grandpa eyed me apprehensively, neither of them daring to say a word to me about it. I explained what had happened to them, and Mrs. Higurashi looked worriedly down at Kagome's locket. Kagome was asleep, and I carried her up to her room, tucking her in the bed.

I wasn't able to relax until a few hours had passed and Kagome had slept peacefully for a while. It was then, that I realized that her locket had indeed acted strange. So, it meant . . .

_Kagome really does love me . . ._ I realized, and it was both a sweet and terrifying thought. I thought back to when the demon had attacked her, and all over again, I was struck with worry, anger, and extreme protectiveness. I looked over at Kagome's sleeping face, and sighed. Was it because I returned her feelings? Was that why it worried me so badly? That was when I realized.

I _was_ in love with Kagome. I was in love with her, the same way she was with me. I'd gotten worried over Kikyo many a time in the same way, so I knew that was the case. I had tried to be careful, had tried to stop it, but . . . it had happened anyway and now it was irreversible. I was irrevocably in love with Kagome and it was now time for me to fulfill my end of the bargain to Naraku.

I looked out the window, and my thoughts were now grim. _Tomorrow, our fates are going to be sealed. Whatever Naraku has in store for us . . . and all the secrets of the locket will be revealed. My only hope is that I can protect Kagome . . . and save Kikyo's soul._

**Aww... so they both realize their love for one another. Now that that's outta the way, we have to move on to the most eventful chapter yet. Inuyasha brings Kagome back to his time, and to Naraku. What will happen? Any guesses? **


	8. Chapter 8

**Ok, here we have the final chapter before the epilogue. Loose ends will be tied, and all questions will be answered. So, are you guys excited? :D**

Chapter eight

"Inuyasha, are you sure we'll be able to come back?" Kagome asked worriedly, as I pulled her along.

"Sure. I went through it a few times last night to make sure." I tossed over my shoulder. I was taking her to the Bone Eater's well, to fulfill my end of the promise, and I couldn't deny I was both worried and on edge. But I put on a false mask of happiness for Kagome's sake. I made sure she had her locket. She wore a simple light blue t-shirt that was big on her and came to a stop right above her bellybutton, and jeans that rode low on her hips. I wore my robe of the fire rat, because I didn't want anyone who might see us in my time to be alarmed if I was wearing strange clothing.

"So why are you wanting to take me again?" Kagome asked. "It's a school day today."

"Your mom already said it was ok." I replied. "And because I want you to see my world. I've seen all of yours. You should see mine. It's fair."

"It does sound exciting." Kagome admitted. "All right. Let's do it."

I pulled her into the shrine and down the steps. I stepped onto the lip of the well and crouched, and helped Kagome up beside me. "Is it going to hurt?" She asked worriedly, looking down at the well.

"Nope. Not one bit."

"Ok. Then let's go." Kagome looked at me with a smile and a glimmer of excitement in her eyes, and I forced a smile back, though inside, I wanted to cry.

I put my arm around her and together, we jumped down, down down . . . into the depths.

The travel through the well was successful, and when I could smell the wild flowers from the fields around the Goshinboku tree, I knew we had definitely made it. I crouched down and Kagome climbed onto my back, and I launched us easily out of the well, and into the grass.

Kagome climbed from my back and gazed around, her eyes filled with wonder. "It's amazing." She breathed. "To think, all of this will be covered by roads and buildings . . . five hundred years from now."

_So we're here. Where is Naraku? I know he's got to be around here somewhere . . ._ I thought, and my thoughts were grim, along with my mood. I could no longer keep the smile on my face. It was impossible now. I lifted my nose and sniffed, and it didn't take long before I caught onto his scent.

"Inuyasha, do you hear that?" Kagome looked over at me, and her eyes were slightly wide. "I think I hear something."

I heard it indeed. It was a low whistling sound, like something was traveling very, very fast across the grass. At the scent wafting through the air, I knew immediately who it was. "Naraku." I hissed.

A moment after uttering his name, I heard his soft laughter, and Kagome scooted closer to me, obviously worried and tense.

"Why, Inuyasha, you bring such a lovely guest along with you." I put my hand protectively on Kagome's shoulder as I turned us to face Naraku, who stood a few feet away, smirking at us.

"Who . . . who are you?" Kagome asked, and I could smell she was afraid. I growled a little.

"Call me Naraku, lovely maiden." Naraku murmured charmingly. "And you, are Kagome. Kagome Higurashi."

"How did you know that?" Kagome's heart skipped a beat, and I felt my teeth grind together. Now was when everything was going to come out.

Naraku slowly smiled, and it was enough to send chills up any demon's spine. Including mine. "Because I have known you for a long time, Kagome. Ever since you were born."  
"What?" Kagome looked up at me, but my expression offered no guidance, and she looked mistrustfully back toward Naraku.

"Excuse me. I apologize if I am frightening you, young one. Do allow me to explain. That dear hanyou by your side known as Inuyasha is not quite the man you think he is." Naraku began, smirking a little. I tensed. Was he going to lie to her?  
Kagome looked up at me again, and her brow was furrowed. "Inuyasha, what is he talking about? What is going on?"

"Well, as you see, I am the one who originally sent him with orders to kill you. But I quickly discovered that you were a requirement rather than a liability, and ordered him not to slay you upon his visit back to his own time." Naraku explained smoothly. "So I sent him back with new orders."

"New orders?" Kagome stepped away from me, and she was shaking her head slightly. "You told me you didn't have any other orders!"

"Kagome-" I started helplessly.

"Allow her the truth, Inuyasha. It is the least you can do, considering all you have done." Naraku smirked and I snarled at him, and Kagome looked so terribly hurt and confused. It was horrible. "I sent him back with orders to make you fall in love with him, and to bring you back, with that locket."

Kagome's eyes widened, and she looked to me with an expression that begged it wasn't true. But I couldn't give her that. I held her eyes, but my face flushed with shame, and tears filled her own eyes. "So it was all a lie?" she whispered. I didn't answer. "How could you?"

"It wasn't a lie, Kagome!" I said desperately. "I meant every word of everything I said to you!"

"How about the part where you were _ordered_ to make me fall in love with you?" Kagome demanded, as angry tears slipped down her face. "You conveniently left that out!"

"I had no choice-"

"Or the part where you said you cared about me? And when you said I wouldn't belong to anyone else? Was that a lie too?"

"No! I swear Kagome, I meant every word!" I reached out toward her, but she slapped my hand away with a shriek of, "Don't touch me!"

Naraku laughed softly. "Ahh . . . I see you did not fail in your task at all, Inuyasha. You did well, very well. She is indeed madly in love with you."

"Then you fulfill your part of the deal!" I snarled at him. "You give me what you promised me!"

"Not yet." Naraku said smoothly. "First, you must finish your end of the bargain. Kagome, come to me." Naraku lifted a finger and beckoned her over.

"You can burn in hell, Naraku!" Kagome yelled at him.

He smiled slowly at her, and Kagome gasped as one of his green tentacles shot out and seized her around the waist, bringing her forward, so she was face to face with him. "You are a feisty one. When the female demon gave me visions of you, she did not show this spirit of yours. Oh well. It won't matter anyway."  
"Let her go, Naraku!" I bellowed.

Naraku's eyes flickered lazily over to me, and he smirked before looking back to Kagome. "Don't pretend as if you care about her, Inuyasha. You were only following your orders. Kagome, don't allow yourself to believe his claims of caring for you. For his heart belongs to another woman."  
My heart was pounding. "You're a _liar_! I'll kill you, you bastard!" I lunged toward him, but another green tentacle shot out and seized me, holding me immobile, no matter how I struggled.

"Ah, yes. His heart belongs to the lovely Kikyo, a priestess of this time who died fifty years ago in our era . . ." Naraku went on, as if I'd never interrupted. "How ironic is it, that you, Kagome, are actually the reincarnation of Kikyo?"

I felt a rush of shock, and my gasp echoed Kagome's. "Kagome . . . Kikyo's reincarnation?" I demanded. But it made _sense_. The physical similarities, the spiritual energy, the kindness, the fact that I so easily fell in love with her, and she with me . . .

"That is the entire reason Inuyasha made an agreement with me. To save Kikyo's soul, which I hold here, to this earth. I have the ability to send her into the depths of hell at any moment, and Inuyasha wished to save her, so I requested he do a little task for me . . . which was acquiring you." Naraku looked pleased with his handy work. "It is sad, indeed, that fifty years ago, a tragedy happened between the two of them . . ."

"A tragedy?" Kagome whispered.

"Shut your mouth, you bastard!" I snarled.

Naraku ignored me. "Indeed. You see, the lovely Kikyo had allowed herself to fall for a mere, worthless halfbreed, and had promised herself to him, and he promised himself to her. Together, Inuyasha and Kikyo made quite the pair, a half demon and a stoic priestess . . . Kikyo and Inuyasha discovered a tomb of a demon, and within, was the locket you now possess, Kagome. Kikyo kept it in her possession, worried about the supposed curse the locket carried, though not knowing the depths of its true power. When I sensed this power, I was drawn, naturally, and I posed as Inuyasha and wounded Kikyo, stealing the locket from her cold, dying body for my own uses . . . With her last breaths, Kikyo tried to seal Inuyasha to the sacred tree, but she missed, and he escaped while she died, cold and bitter, believing he had betrayed her. However, Inuyasha managed to steal the locket from me, and he placed it in Kikyo's dead hands, and it was burned with her body, where I could no longer have it in my grasp . . .

"Fifty years passed . . ." Naraku's eyes narrowed. "Fifty years, and the female demon sealed within the locket sent me visions of you, Kagome, centuries in the future, possessing the locket, which had also reincarnated into you. She sent me visions of how to free her spirit from the locket, saying it was the only way to release the true power of the locket. So, naturally, I had to learn what the requirements were.

"Love, of course." Naraku smirked. "And . . . bitterness. The pain you feel in your heart and the love mix into one, and they taint the locket around your neck, and soon, the demon sealed within the locket so long ago will be released, and she will be under my command. I will absorb her into my body and possess her power. I will be unstoppable."

All of it now made sense. "Naraku, you have to let her go! Let her go!" I screamed.

"You're a terrible monster, Naraku! You're heartless! How could you tear apart Inuyasha and Kikyo, when they loved each other? How could you?" Kagome struggled in his grip, but to no avail.

"I needed a puppet to do this work. And who better than the half demon who had been the deepest desires of Kikyo's heart? It was only natural her reincarnation would also fall in love with Inuyasha. I had held onto Kikyo's soul for those fifty years out of bitterness, but now, I had something to fuel my reasons. I had a way to control Inuyasha. No one else would be able to perform this task. And he did beautifully. Within minutes, the locket's true power will be mine." Naraku narrowed his eyes as he glanced down at the locket resting on Kagome's chest. It was glowing a faint blue, and I struggled harder in his grip, trying to escape.

"You have what you want, Naraku! The locket is yours! Now let go of Kagome and free Kikyo's soul! Do it now! You made a promise!" I kicked against his tentacles, and he laughed.

"Did you really think that I would hold such a promise?" Naraku smirked at me. "Inuyasha, don't be so naive. The demon will need a body, once she is awakened. Kikyo will serve perfectly."

My eyes widened and Kagome gasped. "No!"

I had been such a fool, to ever think Naraku would hold to such a promise. But I hadn't had a choice. I had had to save Kikyo's soul. I had done what I had to do. Whatever happened now . . . it was beyond my control.

"Naraku, keep your promise!" Kagome cried. "Don't play dirty! You have what you want, like Inuyasha said! He did what he was supposed to, now free Kikyo's soul! Let her go!"

_How can she still fight for me, after what I've done to her?_ I thought, and it only made me love her more. Not that that mattered now.

"You still fight for him?" Naraku lifted an elegant black brow. "Kagome, he doesn't care for you. He only cares for Kikyo. Imagine, every single time you've kissed, you've touched . . . it wasn't for you. It was all for _her_. She was who he imagined. You are nonexistent to him. Why aid him?"

Kagome's struggles grew weaker at his words, and I knew she was starting to believe what he said. My heart pounded. "Don't listen to him, Kagome! That's not true! I never saw her when I looked at you! Not once!" I shouted, and it was the truth.

"You are too late, Inuyasha. You words have no effect." Naraku smirked, and the light of the locket brightened, and Kagome's head fell back, and her eyes glazed over as there was a bright flash of blue light.

"_NO_!" I screamed.

I could feel the magic and the energy bursting forth, and blue light lit up the skies and the trees, and the ground rumbled. I had to turn my face away, and I could see blue orbs of light flying from the locket, which broke away from Kagome's neck and rose into the air. Naraku dropped Kagome's limp body, and he was laughing, as the locket began to open, and the brightest orb of blue light emerged.

"Oh spirit! Here, I offer you a body! Take this soul, as it is powerful, and will serve you well!" Naraku held out his hand, and Kikyo's soul appeared, floating and glowing a vibrant white.

The blue orbs whizzed down and struck her soul, and my heart raced as the lights fused together, and began to take the shape of a body. "KIKYO!" I screamed. I could hear her voice coming from the orbs, and I could hear her screams of agony.

There was another flash of light, and the body of a woman appeared, and she floated slowly down toward the ground, her body glowing a vibrant blue. It was too bright for me to see her, but as the light faded more and more, I could see Kikyo's face, as she raised her hands to touch her face, her eyes closed, her brow furrowed, and her lips parted. Her long, straight black hair fell loose down her back.

"Rise, Fukusyu! Come to your former power, and absorb the priestess who once walked this earth!" Naraku commanded.

Kikyo's feet touched the ground, and she wore her miko robes, and she looked so pale and frail, though she still glowed. Her hands lowered to her sides, and her eyes slowly opened, revealing stoic, intense brown eyes. She was as beautiful as she had ever been, and my heart throbbed painfully upon seeing her again. "Kikyo . . ." I choked out.

But it wasn't her. It was Fukusyu, the female demon of revenge, who Naraku had revived. "Fukusyu, I have revived you, as you have commanded." Naraku smirked, as he moved over to Kikyo, who was looking emotionlessly down at Kagome, who was unconscious.

"You will serve under me, and grant me your powers. I can feel the demonic aura coming from you, and it is magnificent." Naraku continued, unaware that Kikyo's eyes were narrowing.

"Come no closer, demon vermin." Kikyo's voice was cold, and she turned, holding her hand out toward Naraku, and he screamed in agony as bright blue light burst forth, setting him ablaze. He writhed on the ground, and his tentacle finally released me, and I raced over to Kagome as Kikyo and Naraku fought.

"Kagome, wake up. You've got to wake up." I shook her, but her eyes remained closed, and she remained unconscious.

"Insolent witch! You _will_ obey me!" Naraku hissed, lunging toward Kikyo, who easily leapt out of the way. She moved fluidly, as she had in her human life, and her powers were stronger than ever, though now, they were demonic.

"You dare to command me?" Kikyo seized Naraku's throat in both of her hands, and there was a bright flash of blue light, and blood exploded everywhere as his head separated from his body and bounced uselessly across the ground. His body crumpled, and a moment later, his body disintegrated. I stared, wide-eyed.

"Such a fool, to think he could command me, Fukusyu." Kikyo faced me, and her eyes narrowed. "You, half demon. You took part in releasing my soul from that accursed locket."

"Yeah? What of it?" I demanded, holding Kagome close to me, protectively.

"Tell me . . .You sought to free me only to release the soul of the woman you loved. This Kikyo woman. You wished to send her soul to rest, rather than to hell. But now, I have fused her soul with mine." Kikyo took a step toward me, and everything about her voice was emotionless. I was torn between wanting to believe it was Kikyo and knowing it was Fukusyu.

"Then I guess there's nothin' I can do." I said grimly, looking down at Kagome.

Kikyo smirked, the first sign of emotion. "You did not seek to free me for your own gain. And all the while, that you worked to free Kikyo's soul, you led on the heart of another. Half demon, how do you think I came into being? By the scorn and rejection of a man. As you have done to that girl. There is no reason I should spare your life."

"You're right. There isn't. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up without a fight." I growled, looking up at her.

"Love is so fickle." Kikyo lifted an elegant hand, and above her upturned palm, appeared the golden locket, now open, and void of all mystical elements. "This little trinket kept me held for so long . . . and now that I am freed . . . I desire nothing more than revenge. After all, it is the very thing that created me in the first place. Not to mention, the soul of the woman you so dearly wished to save wishes revenge upon you as well."

I was shocked to hear this. "Doesn't she know that Naraku was responsible for the betrayal?"  
"She knows. But right now, I'm tearing her between revenge, corrupting her heart, making her believe it was indeed you." A cruel smile came to Kikyo's lips. "She is calling out for you, half demon. But I am telling her you are a betrayer. And her desire for revenge is coming forth . . ."

"You witch!" I felt a rush of rage. "Release Kikyo right now!"

"But if I did that, I would need another body to sustain me. This one will do rather nicely. She has such power. I will utilize it to slay you!" Kikyo ran toward me, and I let go of Kagome, quickly leaping out of the way as she tried to hit me, her fist glowing a bright blue. She surely would have purified me, had she hit me with that punch.

"Stop! Kikyo, you have to stop! I know you're in there! I know you're strong enough to fight Fukusyu off! You have to! It's the only way for you to rest!" I shouted, as I dodged blows from Kikyo's fists, trying desperately not to be purified. I would have been faster than her normally, but due to the fact that her body was possessed by a demon, I wasn't going to be able to outrun her for long.

I glanced over at Kagome quickly, hoping she would be all right and Kikyo would leave her alone, if she managed to purify me. "You can't run forever, half demon!" Kikyo cried, and I gasped as she seized my sleeve and there was a burst of blue energy and smoke rose. I leapt back and looked down, seeing there was a large, searing hole in my sleeve. She'd missed me, barely. I thanked the Gods for my luck.

"Kikyo, you have to listen to me. Please, I know you can hear me. I never betrayed you. I never would have betrayed you. I love you. Don't you understand that?" I said desperately, but Kikyo dove forward and grabbed my shoulders, and paused.

She smiled gently up at me, and for a moment, she looked so much like the real Kikyo that my heart throbbed painfully. "Inuyasha . . ." she said softly. Then her face twisted, becoming angry, and she fisted her hands in my robes and blue energy seared throughout me. I screamed, and the force of the blast sent me flying back, to flip a few times and skid to a painful stop.

"Kikyo only remembers betrayal, half demon." She moved toward me in slow, precise steps, her face and her voice cruel and cold. "And as long as I am here, she will not let go of her hatred of you. This all consuming hatred will push me forward, to slay you. And then, to put that poor girl out of her misery, I will kill her. Or, better yet, absorb her into this body. I will end all the pain and suffering."

"You don't end anything, Fukusyu!" I managed to say. "You're only creating more tragedy!"

"Silence!" Kikyo slashed her hand through the air, and a bolt of cerulean energy whizzed through the air and struck me in the chest, and I screamed in agony, writhing as the energy cut through me. I could feel my energy quickly draining, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before I was completely purified. When the attack stopped I slumped to the ground, weak and exhausted, knowing I couldn't fight Kikyo anyway. Even if I had the strength, I couldn't hurt her, whether it was really her or not. It wasn't in my heart to do it.

"So pathetic. I expected you to put up some sort of fight. Oh well. I suppose I should be grateful that I'm even free at all, due to you." Kikyo stood over me, looking down at me with a cold, empty expression. "Now." She reached down and gripped the front of my robes, pulling me up with surprising strength, holding my yellow eyes with her lifeless brown ones. "Exacting revenge upon you will give me the sense of closure I need, for the warrior who so betrayed me, when I was mortal . . . It is all men, men like you . . ." Kikyo's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not like him . . . I never meant to hurt Kagome." I said weakly. "I did it because I love Kikyo. I did it to save her."

"But you were willing to sacrifice that girl in the process, that girl who you also profess to love. How can that display your feelings?"

"There was nothing else I could do! I made due with the choices I was given." I looked away, because I had no further defenses.

"I suppose I pity you, in a way, given the circumstances that you were to work with. But it does not excuse your actions. And for that, you will pay. Any last words, half demon?" Kikyo narrowed her eyes at me.

"Forgive me, Kagome . . . Kikyo . . ." Was all I could manage.

"Get your hands off him, you witch."

I looked behind Kikyo, seeing Kagome standing there. She jumped forward and grabbed Kikyo's shoulders, and there was a flash of green light, and Kikyo screamed as she released me. I was shocked as I scrambled to my feet. Kikyo's shoulders were smoking, and her clothes were burnt through at the places Kagome's hands had touched. I realized that Kagome had almost purified Kikyo, as she had been doing to me.

"Insignificant girl! How do you possess even the strength to move?" Kikyo snarled.

"I guess I'm a little stronger than you thought, Fukusyu!" Kagome glared at Kikyo, and her hands were held out defensively.

"And you risk your life for this half demon? Even though he so betrayed you?" Kikyo demanded.

"Yeah, I guess I do! I still love him, so there's nothing I can do! I won't let him be killed by the likes of you! Quit hiding in Kikyo's body and come out!" Kagome ordered, and I was proud of her for her strength. I tensed as Kikyo did.

"Insolent little wretch. You dare to challenge me? You will lose!" Kikyo leapt forward as Kagome did, but Kagome was faster. She planted her hands on Kikyo's chest, and there was a clash of blue and green light. I had to throw up a hand to shield my eyes as the lights battled for dominance, and I realized they were struggling to purify one another.

"You-won't-win!" Kagome said through gritted teeth. She shoved hard against Kikyo, and the green light surrounded the blue, and the sound of Kikyo's screams filled the air as green light filtered throughout the clearing. The ground began to rumble, and I felt a rush of alarm.

"Kagome, we have to get out of here or we'll all be purified! It's an overload of power!" I rushed forward and seized Kagome around the waist, and took off running away from Kikyo, who was still screaming as she hit the ground, green light shooting off her body in bolts.

"There's no way we can outrun it!" Kagome shouted over all the noise.

"We have to try!" I shouted back, and whisked her up onto my back, running as fast as my demonic speed would allow me. "Hold on tight!"

Kagome did as I asked, and I glanced over my shoulder, my eyes widening when I saw the green light was quickly enveloping everything and that we weren't likely to escape. "Oh shi-" Were my last words as the green light covered us.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

I opened my eyes slowly, and when I did, I saw I was laying on the ground, which was cold. There was mist and fog all around, so I couldn't see the sky above me, and I realized I was on the edge of a cliff covered in green moss. The fog covered all that was below, so I couldn't see the bottom.

I sat up, looking around, frightened because I didn't see Inuyasha around anywhere. I was hurting by what he'd done to me, but I still wanted him near. He made me feel safe. Right now, I felt very, very alone.

"So you're the girl."

I recognized the voice, and I turned, seeing Kikyo standing behind me, her expression smooth and emotionless. "Fukusyu?" I demanded.

"Dead." Kikyo replied simply. "You purified her with her spiritual powers. When I felt your aura touch her, it was enough to snap the spell she held over my mind, and I combined my powers with her to force her out. You saved yourself, and Inuyasha."

"Oh. I . . . I did?" I was surprised, and more than a little shocked I had done such a thing. "I didn't know I had any powers."

"You're my reincarnation. It is only natural you would possess my spiritual powers as well."

I glanced over at Kikyo, and slowly stood up from the ground. "So, if it is you, Kikyo . . . then . . . you saw everything that happened in the clearing."

"Indeed."

"And you know that Inuyasha didn't betray you. It was Naraku." I said.

"I am aware." Kikyo looked away, and though her expression remained unreadable, I could sense pain there, below the surface. She was indeed extremely beautiful, and though she looked exactly like me, her beauty seemed more graceful, more sophisticated, and her hair was straight, and her eyes were brown. She wore a red and white kimono, the garb of a priestess. Her hair was down.

"Don't tell me that . . . you're mad at Inuyasha." I said, disbelieving.

"Do not presume what I feel." Kikyo looked at me sharply, and I recoiled. "What Inuyasha did to save me was selfless, but also . . . selfish. He led you to believe a future with him, when it is not something he can ever grant you."

Well, that certainly stung. "But why not?" I demanded. I was aware Inuyasha didn't have feelings for me. I wouldn't believe it, no matter what he said. But to hear it said aloud was something else.

Kikyo looked away, off into the distance, though it was shrouded with fog. "You and he are from different worlds, worlds where you can not exist together peacefully without disturbing the flow of time. Tell me, Kagome . . . would you tear him from his world to be with you?"

I could sense the logic in her words. "Well, I . . . no . . ."

"He could never live peacefully in your world. There are none like him there. Already, his kind is scarce in his own world. There would never be a place for him to fit in with you." Kikyo continued. "Tell me, Kagome . . . how deep are your feelings for Inuyasha?"  
"I . . . I love him." I admitted softly.

Kikyo glanced at me, and her gaze was calculating, as if she were scrutinizing my entire being. "Even as we speak, another portion of my soul is with Inuyasha, tying up loose ends that should have been mended many years ago . . . There is something that I notice. His face has a certain softness. Long ago, his eyes were cold, and he was not so quick to trust anyone. Little by little, it seems you have healed the wounds in his heart . . ."  
I didn't say anything. There was nothing I could say, and I could sense the jealously in Kikyo's voice. It made me feel like a criminal. "If I had lived . . . it is _I _who would have healed the wounds in his heart." Kikyo trailed off in a whisper, looking away from me again, clasping a hand to her heart.

"Kikyo, I . . . I'm sorry . . . if I had had any idea . . . I wouldn't have ever . . ." I began, but then I stopped myself. What was I saying? I was just going to lay down and take it? I was going to let her stomp on me like a doormat and make me believe I didn't have a snowball's chance in hell with the man I loved? How was _that_ fair? Sure, she had had her life taken from her but she had to move on now. I felt horrible for her. I would have never wished that fate upon her. But the fact that she had to move on did not mean that Inuyasha couldn't find new love and allow himself to be healed. And I wouldn't stand down.

"Kikyo." I said, and made sure my tone was firm. "Listen to me. What Naraku did to you was terrible. And how he tricked Inuyasha was horrible and underhanded. Inuyasha made me fall in love with him, and though it was not in a way I would have wanted, necessarily, I wouldn't change any of it, because that's the way it was meant to be. I love Inuyasha, and that won't change. And Inuyasha deserves to have the wounds in his heart healed. If I can heal them, then I will. I will try to fix what you didn't have the chance to do. I just don't want you to hate me for it."

Kikyo met my eyes, and I could sense, in their deep brown depths, that she respected me, even if grudgingly. She respected me for standing my ground, and telling her the way that it was. "Kagome . . ." She smiled at me, and it was so sad that it made me want to cry. "You continue to astound me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"I didn't believe that you would ever truly speak to me in such a manner, but it seems you are full of surprises. I have never seen Inuyasha look at anyone the way he looks at you, not even me . . . If there is anyone who can give Inuyasha true happiness, it will be you. All I ask is that you cure the loneliness inside him. Give him a reason to exist. And if he must forget me, then let him forget. But do not ever let him be unhappy. These are my parting words to you, Kagome." As Kikyo spoke, her voice grew fainter, and her form began to vanish.

"Wait! Not yet!" I took a few steps forward, reaching out toward her. "Wait, Kikyo!"  
But then she was gone. "I . . . I didn't have a chance to tell her . . . I would only do it if Inuyasha wants it." I whispered, but it was too late.

**Inuyasha's P.O.V.**

I came to slowly, as if from an intense dream, and when I opened my eyes, I was looking up into the face of the woman I loved, or one of the women. Kikyo's brown eyes searched my face, and that gentleness that was her trademark was there, the one I had missed so much.

She was holding my head in her lap, which was something, fifty years ago, she would have never done. I was shocked. "Kikyo?" I asked softly. We were seated on the docks near the village, looking out toward the river, and the sun was setting. I remembered, this was where I'd first kissed her.

"Yes, it is truly me." She said, just as soft. "Have you missed me, Inuyasha?"  
"You can't even ask that question." I was getting choked up on my words, and I was struggling not to shed any tears. I was a man, and I refused to cry. Not in front of Kikyo. I wouldn't. My pride wouldn't allow it.

She smiled gently. "I have missed you as well. I will say though . . . for a time though, it was hard, as I believed you had betrayed me. But now that I know the truth of Naraku . . . it is much easier to let go of the past."

I sat up, and she let go of me, and we sat side by side, facing each other. "Kikyo, it's been fifty years that Naraku held onto your soul without letting it go. I did what I had to to save it. I'm sorry if you disapprove or-"

"I understand, though I wish you wouldn't have been put in this predicament in the first place." Kikyo laid a slender finger over my lips. "Inuyasha, my soul can finally rest, now that Naraku has released it and allows me to move on."

"I wish I could have saved you earlier." I whispered.

"It was both you and Kagome who saved me. Without you, or without her, it wouldn't have been able to be done. The years were necessary." Kikyo replied. There was a short pause. "Inuyasha, may I ask you a simple question?"

"Anything."

"The girl . . . Kagome . . . what is the nature of your feelings for her?" Kikyo asked, very quietly.

I flushed. I hadn't been expecting that question, though I probably should have been. I didn't know what to say. I opened my mouth but hesitated, and my ears lowered to my head guiltily. I hadn't thought for a second I would have to tell Kikyo to her face I was in love with another woman. "I . . ."

Kikyo sighed. "It is very evident. Say nothing, Inuyasha. I understand. I have already spoken with Kagome, and I know now what must happen."

"Kikyo, I'm sorry. I never thought it would happen." I admitted, ashamed of myself and my inability to control my feelings.

"Don't apologize, Inuyasha. We cannot control how we feel." Kikyo smiled a little. "Inuyasha, haven't you realized yet? Kagome is my reincarnation. When I died, though I was angry and bitter, I still loved you. And my love transcended time, and was reborn, in Kagome. It is only natural that you would love her, as you loved me."  
_Just like friendship, love transcends time . . ._ I thought. "Kikyo, I still care about you. You were the first woman I ever cared about."

Kikyo's expression softened, and she laid a slender hand on my cheek. "How I've missed you, Inuyasha . . . but I'm afraid that my time to go is near. You accomplished your task, and now I may rest on. Please, forgive me for not having enough faith to see through Naraku's plight . . ."

"Don't blame yourself. Don't ever blame yourself." I said fiercely. "Kikyo, I-" She cut me off with her lips, and I closed my eyes, kissing her back, conveying all the love and pain and loneliness I'd felt through fifty years through the kiss, cupping her neck. It was the first time Kikyo had kissed me, and I realized, since her death, she had changed. She was no longer the cold, stoic woman she'd once been. She realized now that what she loved and wanted the most was slipping through her fingers, and she had to cherish it. It was the same for me, except I also loved and wanted Kagome.

When we parted, Kikyo pulled back, and held my eyes. "Forgive me, Inuyasha." She whispered, and her form began to fade away.

"Kikyo, stay a bit longer . . ." I begged, grabbing her wrist, but it too, faded, and then she was gone.

Slowly, the docks and the sunset faded away as Kikyo had, and the clearing appeared before me, and I saw the well before me. A few feet away I saw Kagome, seated on her knees, staring off at the trees, the wind gently blowing her hair. I felt a pang in my heart upon seeing her. Now that everything was over . . . I wondered what would happen.

When Kagome noticed my presence, she glanced at me over her shoulder, and there was a flash of pain across her face. "Inuyasha . . ." she whispered.

I didn't know how to take that tone. "Kagome . . ." I finally settled, pitifully.

Kagome stood up, and her eyes were cold and angry as she stared at me, and I knew I deserved it. "I know you did what you did for Kikyo. I can say I understand. I probably would have done the same thing . . . but still . . . I can't deny that I'm angry. And that I'm hurt. You didn't even love me, that entire time. You didn't care about me at all. It was all for Kikyo. And you wished that I was her, didn't you?"

I was taken aback. "Kagome, of course not! I do care about you! I worry about you all the time!" I stood up as well. "I never wished you were Kikyo. I was glad you were Kagome."

"I just . . . I can't believe it right now. Even if you're telling the truth. It all hurts too much." Kagome whispered, turning away from me and shaking her head, even as tears fllled her eyes. "I guess a part of me hoped that our relationship would go somewhere. I guess I hoped you would stick around. But I was stupid to think someone like you could love me."

"Kagome, don't do this to me-" I started, helplessly, as she moved toward the well and crouched on the lip of it.

"Inuyasha . . . don't come after me. I know you wouldn't anyway, but . . . I just want to make sure. I guess I should just say thank you for saving my life, all those times. I'm glad I could help Kikyo." Kagome looked away. "So . . . I'm going to leave you alone now. Just promise me one thing."

I didn't say anything. I wasn't sure what I could say to make it better. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself." Kagome whispered, and then she slipped down into the well. And just like that, like Kikyo, she was gone.

And I was more alone than I'd ever been in my life.

**All right . . . you guys let me know if you have any questions or what you think. Also, if you were surprised when Kikyo was possessed, let me know. I threw that in there on a whim, actually, and I thought it went pretty well. :D So, please review and let me know what you thought. **


	9. Epilogue

**Ok, here's the epilogue. It's a little bit longer than most of the other ones I've written, but hopefully it will tie up all the loose ends. **

Epilogue

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

It had been a while, since everything had been over. I had gone back to my time, and Inuyasha had remained in his, as far as I knew. He didn't come back for me, like I'd asked, and I wondered if he would have, if I hadn't told him specifically not to. I wondered if I would have been strong enough to avoid him.

_No._ I decided. _I've never been strong when it comes to Inuyasha. I can't resist being around him. I . . . love him. Even though it's been about a month. I love him too much._

Everything had gone back to routine. I had attended school dutifully, up until winter holidays kicked in. My mother had sensed my depression, and hadn't bothered to question me about it. I had told her everything, so she just left the matter alone because she knew even after a month, I wasn't ready to talk about all of my pain.

What bothered me the most was what could have been. It wasn't even the lying, the deceit . . . or anything else. It was the fact that Inuyasha had been a piece of me I'd never had before, and now he was gone. I wondered, briefly, if it was my own fault. If he would have at least tried to care for me if I had asked.

"Kagome, you really need to try to cheer up. Things could be worse." Eri tried to cheer me up one day, as me, her, Yuka, and Ayumi sat at our usual table in Wacdonalds.

As far as they knew, Inuyasha and I had just broken up. That was it. "I'm fine. Really." I said, giving them a bright, cheery smile that was as false as half the breasts of the celebrities of Hollywood.

"My ass." Yuka muttered, and that was the end of that.

Miroku and Sango, however, I had told the entire tale to. They had listened in silence, and Sango had been furious to find out the truth. Miroku had seemed disappointed more than angry. But when I explained the circumstances to Sango, she was less angry, and more happy that Inuyasha hadn't decided to stick around and cause me more misery if he didn't mean his feelings.

Honestly, even if Inuyasha had come back, I had no idea if I would have even taken him back. Or if he would stay in my world or I would stay in his. Because I knew the love I had for Inuyasha wasn't fleeting. It was love for _life._ I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life, and I was sure of it. I didn't have a doubt in my mind.

I spent a lot of time by the sacred tree, now. It was my only connection to Inuyasha. And other times, I would sit by the well, and stare down into the depths. I knew it was possible for me to travel through it. But I couldn't. I couldn't cave. If Inuyasha loved me, really loved me . . . then he could come for me. Even though I told him not to.

But I didn't expect that. I didn't expect for a second he would return. Perhaps it was too much to hope for. So I didn't. I didn't allow myself the hope he would come back. As far as I was concerned, Inuyasha was a fond memory. But I swore I'd never love again. I didn't want to forget Inuyasha. I wouldn't ever forget him.

I didn't have my locket anymore, either. To discover that something so entirely evil had been locked inside my good luck charm was shocking. After Fukusyu had burst forth and taken Kikyo's body, I hadn't seen the locket. I wasn't sure whether it had vanished or not. So I didn't worry about it, though a part of me wanted to have it, because it was my memory of Inuyasha. It was the reason we'd even met.

"Kagome, do you want something to eat?" I glanced up, seeing my mother. I was seated in front of the Goshinboku, as usual, and the sun was setting.

"Oh no. I'm fine." I looked back to the tree.

Her gaze softened, and she came to sit beside me. "You know . . ." she said softly. "This is the spot where your father proposed to me."

I was surprised. "Really?"

"This tree holds a lot of history, for all of us. The day before your father proposed to me, we had had a silly fight, over something ridiculous. But I'll never forget the moment he asked, under this tree." My mother looked up fondly.

_That's right . . . I first saw Inuyasha in this tree. This tree does hold many memories, for all of us._ I thought, looking up at the tree as well.

"Mama . . ." I whispered. "If . . . if Inuyasha ever came back . . . and I had to choose between my world and his . . ."  
"I'd say yes." My mother interrupted gently. I looked at her, surprised. "I know that some things are a 'now or never' moment, Kagome. And that poor boy would never find his home here. It would only be logical for you to go back with him. But . . . it's fine."

"I don't think he will, but . . . I wanted to know." I smiled at her, and she hugged me tightly.

"Kagome, you're a strong girl. You always have been. When it comes down to it, I know you'll always make the right choice. No matter what." My mother kissed my cheek and stood up, before moving back inside the house.

After a while of sitting there, alone, I heard a soft rustle behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder, my eyes widening. Inuyasha stood there, wearing his red kimono from his time, his expression serious, but soft. I couldn't deny the pang that went through my heart upon seeing him. I couldn't be angry at him, not when he was standing here, like this, after so long. Not when my heart reached out to him like this.

"Inuyasha?" I whispered.

"Kagome, I know you told me not to come back . . . but . . . I couldn't help it." he finally admitted, looking away, his ears lowering in guilt. "I needed to come see you."

"Inuyasha, I . . ." I was speechless, and I stood up, facing him.

"I'm not any good with words, so . . . just listen, ok?" Inuyasha took a deep breath, and he met my eyes, his golden ones intense, making my breath catch, as it always did when he looked at me like that. "I did what I did for Kikyo. I'm not gonna lie about that. I did it because I loved her and I owed it to her, to put her soul to rest. But . . . when Naraku told me what I had to do . . . I did what I felt I had to. I don't regret saving Kikyo's soul, but . . . I regret hurting you. I didn't want it to turn into something that would hurt you. Because . . . I tried to stop myself, but . . ." Inuyasha took a step toward me, and his expression was conflicting emotions, and I knew it was hard for him. "Kagome, I . . . I love you." He admitted with a blush, and my heart skipped a beat. "I tried not to feel anything for you, but I never really stood a chance. And . . . I know you've gotta hate me and stuff, and I don't deserve it in a million years, but I want another chance with you. I wanna be with you, and I want to belong to you too."  
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I asked, carefully, though my heart was soaring at his confessions.

His ears lowered a little, as if not expecting that reaction. "Well . . . because I wouldn't ever lie to you again. Never again. Kagome, I've practically loved you since I met you. I can't lie to you, not even if I tried."

I felt tears prick my eyes. "Inuyasha, I . . . love you too." I whispered.

"I know." he said softly.

I ran into his arms, breathing in his scent, feeling him hold me close and breathe in the scent of my hair, his hands gentle as they stroked down my back and held me tight. "I'm sorry I hurt you." he whispered.

"Just don't do it again." I mumbled, and he grinned a little as he tipped my chin up, and gently kissed me. Butterflies spread through my stomach and made me warm, and my toes curled. Kissing him had always been like this, and I knew this effect would never wear off.

"Does this mean that you'll be mine forever now?" I asked softly into his chest.

"Don't sweat it. I'm yours, even if you don't want me." He teased. "Ka-go-me."

I smiled up at him, and kissed him again, closing my eyes. I had missed this so much. It was so sweet, to have him back home again, with me, where he belonged, and where I belonged. I pulled back and held his eyes.

"I brought this back for you." Inuyasha pulled the golden locket with the red gem from the folds of his robe, proffering it to me. "I've had it this whole time, but I was waiting before I came back because I wasn't sure if you would take me back. I just figured . . . this locket is responsible for how we met, so . . . why couldn't it be the reason we got back together?"

I smiled up at him again. "I was thinking that too." I took the locket from him and pulled it over my neck. I glanced back at my house, and took Inuyasha's hand, making my decision. I pulled him toward the shrine, and down toward the well.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha sounded surprised. "What about Miroku and Sango?" He asked softly, seeming to realize what I was doing.

"They're in your time too. I won't be very far at all. Besides, I can come back to visit." I replied, just as soft. "So, why don't we go?" I crouched onto the lip of the well, and Inuyasha crouched beside me, taking my hand.

Inuyasha smiled at me. "All right. Let's go home, Kagome."

And together, we jumped down through the well.

_The End_

**I know that I'm going to have a thousand questions about Kagome going to be in Inuyasha's time with him, so I will answer them like this: Kagome will live in the village with Inuyasha. She will meet Kaede, Sango, and Miroku, and have relationships with them just like in the anime and in her own time. She CAN travel freely back to her own time, so she and Inuyasha often go back to visit her friends and her mother, but as time passes, the visits grow shorter, except to Sango and Miroku and her family. Kagome does NOT become a miko and nine times out of ten, there will NOT be a sequel to this story. If there any other questions, I will be happy to answer them. :D**


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